Saudi Arabia May Buy Eurofighter’s Latest Jet Aircraft

Eurofighter Typhoon, a consortium built on the strength of four European nations including the UK, Germany; Italy and Spain, is looking to tap Austria, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Turkey as new markets to export its latest fighter jet aircraft.

Eurofighter is planning to step up production of the Typhoon fourth generation fighter jet by manufacturing 30 aircraft per year beginning in 2028, which is more than double of the existing output to meet the expected demand from these five nations.

Speaking to reporters at the Paris Air Show on Wednesday, Eurofighter CEO Jorge Tamarit Degenhardt said that they will be ramping up production by 30 aircraft each year from 2028 once the company receives new export orders.

The consortium, which has received orders for 729 jets as of date, is producing 14 fighter jets at present and plans are underway to increase them to 20 per year over the next three years, Degenhardt said.

He also said that they have step up fast the production of new aircraft as these deliveries are expected to take within next decade or decades.

“We need to sustain this increase of industrial throughput by developing the best new manufacturing technologies, and we need to strengthen as well, our supply chain of 400 critical suppliers,” he pointed out.

“The interesting concept is that if we start delivering jets, say, now, these jets will be fine until well into the” 2060s. We need to accelerate and define what’s the root of capabilities enhancement for the future,” he added.

Austria’s Procurement Plan

According to media reports, the prospect of a future deal with Austria could take a step forward once Vienna develops a procurement plan, potentially launched next year, and as proposed by a national defence report, published earlier this year, to replace ageing Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 1 jets.

As Breaking Defence previously reported, Poland’s air dominance acquisition, which pits the Eurofighter against Boeing’s F-15EX, centers around procurement of 32 new fighter jets, though it remains to be seen when an aircraft selection decision will be made.

In the case of Turkey, the UK has made a bid to supply the aircraft to Ankara, which could result in a deal for 40 aircraft.

It may be recalled that BAE Systems last year said that it was in the process of collaborating with the UK government on a formal Statement of Requirements in support of prospective new deal with Saudi Arabia, which already operates a fleet of 72 Eurofighters after a first sale with BAE was agreed in 2007.

Dagenhardt also said that despite the ambition of the upgrade and supporting requirements clearly articulated by the Eurofighter consortium, they have yet to put forward any funding for it.

He was also clear that the Eurofighter consortium is not expecting a new order to be placed by the UK, as it has announced that it will not be buying additional aircraft. The recent Strategic Defence Review (SDR) instead revealed that more F-35s will be required over the next decade, and could comprise a mix of F-35A and B models, depending on requirements.