AEROSPACE giant BAE Systems has been awarded a £25m contract to work on a new supersonic fighter jet.

The deal secures existing jobs at BAE's Samlesbury site where development work on the F-35 Lightning II has been taking place.

The contract means BAE engineers will be able to start production on components for the rear tail of the two F-35 aircraft ordered under the contract.

Tom Fillingham, managing director of F-35 Lightning II at BAE Systems, said: "This is a significant milestone for BAE Systems and for the F-35 team.

"We will start assembly of the aft fuselage and vertical and horizontal tails for these first production aircraft in 2008 and the first F-35 aircraft is scheduled for delivery to the US Air Force in 2010."

The contract is awarded as part of a Low Rate Initial Production scheme. This is funded annually and means the number of aircraft BAE is sanctioned to build increases year on year.

By 2015 the programme is projected to reach its full capacity when the programme partners, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems, will deliver one aircraft per day.

These components will be the aft fuselage and empennage as well as key mission and vehicle systems for two Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) variants of F-35.

Construction plans at Samlesbury for a £100m aerospace park, where work started earlier this month, will include new production sheds for F-35 construction.

The four offices that are being built will also house employees working on the F-35.

The F-35 Lightning II, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter, will be the world's first and only stealthy, supersonic, multi-role fighter.