THE first Tornado to be upgraded in a £125 million contract has arrived in Lancashire.

The GR1 version of the fighter plan is being fitted with the latest equipment to take it into the next century.

The GR4 Mid Life Update will have major changes to displays, controls, on-board defence systems and armament control.

New features include forward looking infra-red and night vision goggles.

The fighters will also see a large increase in computing capacity and extended capability to introduce future weapons.

There had been major concerns that the Ministry of Defence would lease American F 16 fighters instead of upgrading Tornados to tide over the RAF until the Eurofighter comes on stream.

British Aerospace will be given a £125 million contract to fit improved electronics to the F3 Tornado fighters which will allow them to carry the latest missile technology.

Most of the work will be be split between the Samlesbury and Warton sites.

This will provide a useful stopgap before full scale production starts on the Eurofighter.

The news is also a major boost for the four nation Eurofighter project which has been dogged by delays and wrangling.

British defence industry chiefs had feared that the leasing of F 16s could have been the first step towards an American fleet for Britain.

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