EXCLUSIVE. THE planned closure of the Bishopton munitions plant could have even wider implications, pushing back the troubled #40bn Eurofighter pro- gramme two to three years and affecting tens of thousands of jobs in the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain.

The US Navy has also ex-pressed concern over the move.

Bishopton makes a unique propellant which powers the British-designed Martin Baker ejection seat, the lifesaving device which equips 36,000 jets in 61 countries worldwide and is a military pilot's last hope in an emergency.

The 620 Eurofighters ordered by the four-nation consortium are already more than three years behind schedule and are now tentatively due for delivery in 2001. But the aircraft is designed around the pilot and his seat, and the seat's effectiveness revolves around the explosive cartridge which blasts it clear of the cockpit.

Industry sources claimed last night the aircraft, first flown in 1986, might not now enter squadron service until 2004, forcing the RAF to operate increasingly dated warplanes over Iraq, Bosnia and other dangerous flashpoints.

The other major impact would be on jobs throughout Europe, where aerospace firms might have to cut their workforces to accommodate the expense of lengthening production deadlines.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the aircraft's production phase will support an initial 6000 UK jobs, rising to 16,000 at its peak. British Aerospace, the main contractor, says that as well as a total of 16,000 high technology jobs, including 3000 in Scotland, 80,000 others will be dependent on the project.

The BAe announcement in December that Bishopton is to close has alarmed those countries throughout the world which use the ejection device and triggered major efforts by the MoD to locate other sources of supply.

Mr John Martin, joint managing director of Middlesex-based Martin Baker Engineering, said: ''This is a very serious problem. We are urgently seeking a deal with BAe's Royal Ordnance subsidiary to supply us with a five-year stockpile of the special propellant before Bishopton closes at the end of next year.

''If that proves impossible, the impact is likely to be severe. We have 800 employees and some of those jobs could be under threat. Our biggest single customer is the US Navy and we have to be able to guarantee them a tried and tested product.

''If we or others are forced to seek an alternative source of propellant, that might involve a requalification process which could take years.''

It is understood BAe has already refused to consider compensation in the form of funding for requalification costs of up to #10m. Two attempts by the company to produce an alternative, rocket-propelled ejection system have ended in what is known in the industry as ''proof failures''.

The Herald has meanwhile obtained a copy of a letter dated February 11 this year from the US Department of the Navy's Tactical Aircraft Programmes' team which admits frantic efforts to find an alternative propellant have not been successful so far and that the whole Bishopton issue is a matter for ''concern''.

A new test programme involving experimental propellant manufactured in the US has been scheduled for this month. If it passes performance standards, it will then be put through an emergency qualification process in-volving safety and quality.

If that is successful, the US Navy states in its letter that it is prepared to make the data and the new propellant available exclusively to Martin Baker, effectively ruling out the use of future British explosive technology in a worldwide market.

The letter says: ''It has always been the intention of the programme to develop a formulation/technical data package that was freely available to Martin Baker for use in aircrew escape applications. We have obtained a US patent for our efforts to date and are investigating methods by which our mutual interests are met.''

The MoD said: ''We deal with the prime contractor on the Eurofighter project, and problems with sub-contractors or components are a matter for British Aerospace rather than ourselves.'' He added that the RAF ''is believed to be seeking replacement propellant in the United States''.

The UK has ordered 232 Eurofighters, Germany 180, Italy 130 and Spain 87. The current cost per aircraft is about #35m.

Eurofighter, to be known as the Typhoon in the RAF, provides work in Edinburgh, Fife and Ayrshire. GEC-Marconi is making its long-range radar, the most advanced in the world, while Raytheon manufactures parts for its missile system and BAe's Prestwick plant makes sections of the airframe.

The Commons Defence Select Committee last week forced the MoD to reconsider closing Bishopton, the UK's last manufacturing complex for military pro- pellants. A further inquiry involving BAe and the unions is to be held on March 11.

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