Austria, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are among the countries being eyed by the Eurofighter consortium’s chief executive as potential sources of new export success.
Those prospects add up to more than 100 aircraft, which would be in addition to jets already on order for Germany, Italy and Spain via follow-on deals announced over the last couple of years.
Riyadh’s long-held interest in signing a repeat order via the UK government, which would add 54 aircraft to its in-service fleet of 72 Typhoons, represents a “no-fail mission for the UK Ministry of Defence”, Jorge Tamarit Degenhardt says.
Extensive delays to the procurement process, including due to Germany’s previous government opposing the sale, mean “The window of opportunity is not huge – we need to be fast,” he says.
Regarding the Turkish opportunity, also being led by the UK as a government-to-government campaign, he notes: “There are still some hurdles to be jumped over” regarding securing backing from Berlin.
Attending his first Paris air show at the helm of the four-nation industrial group, Tamarit Degenhardt is also urging Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK to back a key mid-life upgrade for the multi-role fighter.
This will enable the type to remain combat-relevant through to around the 2060s, he argues, and also will enable the type to act as a “bridge” during the fielding of future capabilities required for sixth-generation fighters.
Meanwhile, the global Eurofighter fleet – 612 examples have been delivered to date to the core nations plus export users Austria, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia – is on course to pass the one million flight hour mark later this year.
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