LONDON - BRITAIN said it will remain part of the multi-nation project to build the Eurofighter Typhoon jets and that it plans to buy a third batch of the planes - if it negotiates a good price for the aircraft with partners Germany, Italy and Spain.

The announcement from Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Thursday quells speculation that Britain would pull out of the Eurofighter project, which has been dogged by delays and cost over-runs, leaving the other three countries to compensate for extra costs.

Brown said that continuing the program would strengthen Britain's defense capability and 'create new jobs in advanced manufacturing that Britain needs to emerge stronger and fitter from this global downturn.'

The Eurofighter contracts employ some 40,000 Britons either directly or indirectly.

The Defence Ministry said it hoped to sign a new contract later this year after negotiations with the partner nations and the manufacturer, the European EADS consortium.

The number and cost of the aircraft would be determined as part of those negotiations.

Critics have claimed that the Eurofighter program, conceived during the Cold War as a counter to the latest Russian fighters, is no longer a military priority and is unaffordable in the current economic climate.

The opposition Liberal Democrat Party said the government should extract itself from the deal - with minimum damage to public finances - as the aircraft were no longer needed.

The Defence Ministry defended itself against those charges, saying the aircraft had several uses, including air policing, peace support and high intensity conflict.

It added that at peak production, the Typhoon program will help sustain 5,000 jobs at BAE Systems, 4,000 throughout aero-engine maker Rolls Royce and its supply chain and up to 16,000 in total in the UK aerospace industry. -- AP