The Government is to buy nine maritime patrol aircraft as part of a £3 billion, 10-year partnership with Boeing.
The Ministry of Defence said the P-8A Poseidon planes will be based at RAF Lossiemouth in Moray to help protect the Trident nuclear weapons system and the UK’s two new aircraft carriers.
Boeing will also deliver 50 Apache AH-64E attack helicopters to the British Army under an agreement signed between the US and UK governments.
The collaboration between the UK and Boeing announced at the Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire is expected to create 2,000 jobs – doubling the US giant’s UK workforce.
A new £100 million support and training base for the P-8A planes will be built at RAF Lossiemouth.
Boeing said it will make the UK its European base for training, maintenance, repair and overhaul across its defence fixed-wing and rotary platforms.
It also pledged to increase the bid opportunities it offers to UK suppliers in an attempt to double their work with the manufacturer.
A further £365 million worth of aerospace research and development projects have been approved to boost the UK’s position in the sector.
David Cameron, who visited the air show and viewed a flypast featuring an F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter and the Red Arrows, said: “Whatever uncertainties our country faces, I want the message to go out loud and clear: the UK will continue to lead the world in both civil and defence aerospace.
“We aren’t just open for investment, we are a place the global aerospace industry wants to do business – as Boeing’s long-term partnership with the UK proves.
“It’s also important to put Government investment where it counts. That’s why we are jointly funding the new R&D fund with the aerospace industry and why I’m pleased we have today signed the contract for nine new P8 maritime patrol aircraft for the Royal Air Force, underlining the UK’s commitment to spending on vital defence.”
The P-8As can operate at long range without refuelling and have the endurance to carry out high and low-level maritime and land surveillance for extended periods.
David Pitchforth, vice president and managing director of Boeing Defence UK Limited, said: “This is not only a major boost to the British Army but it will also mean long-term, sustained jobs in the UK as the vast majority of the training, maintenance, repair and overhaul will be done here over the service life of the aircraft.
“We are working closely with our extensive UK supply chain, including Leonardo-Finmeccanica Helicopters, to support initial operating capability of the aircraft in 2022.”
Boeing’s expenditure with the UK aerospace industry last year was £1.8 billion.
The company said that its activities support more than 60,000 UK jobs.
Mr Cameron joined Virgin Atlantic founder Sir Richard Branson to view the flypast on the opening day of the Farnborough air show.
The supersonic F-35 jets are capable of short take-offs and vertical landing, and are one of the highlights of the seven-day show.
They are due to enter service with the Royal Navy and the RAF from 2018.
The Red Arrows are not performing stunts at Farnborough for the first time in more than 50 years because of safety fears.
A decision was made to scrap the aerobatic displays following the Shoreham disaster last year, in which 11 people were killed.
