A multi-million pound order is on the cards for Bradford firm Filtronic which is working on electronic warfare equipment for the Eurofighter jet.

Filtronic Components, based in Charlestown, Baildon, also makes components for missiles due to be used with the Eurofighter when it comes into service.

The company is the only one in the world making such parts for the Eurofighter.

The firm, which is part of the Filtronic group of companies owned by multi-millionaire businessman David Rhodes, has been doing research for the Eurofighter for the last ten years.

The firm will set up a team of 60 researchers, engineers and production workers when the radar equipment and electronic warfare equipment called defensive aid suites go into production next year.

Professor Rhodes said the company was "pushing the laws of physics to the limit" in the research and development work it carried out for electronic warfare equipment and mobile phone microwave technology.

Professor Rhodes gave a flavour of what it was like to work in a hi-tech firm when he addressed a networking lunch organised by Bradford Chamber of Commerce at the Quality Victoria Hotel in Bradford last week.

Keith Ferguson, Filtronic Component's marketing director, said the firm's research department used similar skills to solve problems for the Components and Comtek firms in the group.

He said the new equipment would allow pilots to detect a missile base at long range and jam its radar or send a missile.

"We are at the cutting edge of electronic warfare and microwave technology and always seem to be doing the impossible here. The firm has 15 research and development engineers who were students of Professor Rhodes at Leeds University's department of electronics."

The firm is carrying out work for various divisions of global electronics firm GEC which is bringing together parts from a number of firms across Europe for the European Consortium behind the Eurofighter.

Filtronic Components is the original company set up by Professor Rhodes in 1977 in his bedroom at home.

Professor Rhodes, who was reported to be worth £43 million in the recently-published Sunday Times Rich List, has a soft spot for Bradford and owns half of Bradford City.

He told Chamber members at the lunch: "We are in a position where we could grow anywhere in the world but we would prefer to grow in Bradford more than anywhere else."

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