Eurofighter goes from strength-to-strength as Italy orders new jets

The Eurofighter and NETMA (NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency) officials signed the contract for the delivery of up to 24 Eurofighter fighter aircraft for the Italian Air Force in Rome on the 23rd December. One week before this, on the 20th December, the Spanish Air Force ordered 25 Eurofighters as part of the Halcon II project.

According to press reports, the Italian parliament approved the procurement of the 24 aircraft and other services for 7.47 billion euros last week to replace the older Eurofighters due to be retired from service in 2028, indicating that the new Italian Eurofighters are intended to replace the Tranche 1 aircraft of the same type.

As the statement goes on to say, the new Italian Eurofighters, like the Spanish aircraft under Halcon II, will feature advanced avionics, improved weapon systems such as Brimstone III and Meteor, new sensors and improved connectivity. With a service life extending well beyond 2060, the jet’s technical capabilities are expected to enable full integration into Europe’s future air combat environment.

The Eurofighter participant nations (Italy, Germany, Spain, the UK) also signed a contract on the 19th December to further develop the fighter aircraft for future missions in Part 1 of the so-called Long Term Evolution (LTE) Technology Maturation Phase (TMP). The LTE programme aims to increase the Eurofighter’s growth capacity through the development of a new cockpit, mission computers, flight control computers, communications equipment and weapons control. This will further develop the human-machine interface and enable the aircraft to process large amounts of data more quickly.

This signing took place one day after Germany’s Bundestag’s budget committee approved a so-called 25 million euro proposal for the further development of the Eurofighter. Germany is also planning to purchase another 20 Eurofighters.

Turkey is currently showing great interest in buying Eurofighters. According to press reports, two Eurofighters from the Royal Air Force from Qatar landed at a Turkish air base near Ankara on December 18th for an inspection. At present, an export deal to Turkey seems to depend on German approval, which is still pending. However, as Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said after the Budget Committee meeting last week, there is no news on this. 

This article, written by Lars Hoffmann, was originally published by hartpunkt on 24th December 2024. Hartpunkt and Calibre are collaborating to bring you the best content from across Europe.