Qinetiq has secured a five-year contract extension from the UK Ministry of Defence to provide “mission-critical engineering services” in support of the Royal Air Force’s (RAF’s) Eurofighter Typhoon fleet.

Valued at £205 million ($275 million), the deal “will deliver accelerated, vital engineering outputs to maintain Typhoon capability and pilot safety”, the company says. That work will include “using next generation AI [artificial intelligence] and digital engineering to reduce the time and cost of getting Typhoons airworthy and mission ready, while maintaining front line capability,” it adds.

Data from aviation analytics company Cirium indicates that the RAF has an active fleet of 104 Typhoons.

“Working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Defence, we are investing in cutting-edge technology that increases our productivity and elevates our vital expertise, meaning we can get mission critical capability into the hands of our warfighters at pace and reduced cost,” says Qinetiq chief executive Steve Wadey.

The UK technology company notes that it is investing £10 million via an initiative “to embed new digital and AI technology”, which it says will “augment high-value engineering skills to significantly increase producti