Airbus has signed a contract for the delivery of 38 new Eurofighter Typhoons to the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force. The order is valued at €5.5 billion.
Members of the Bundestag, the German Parliament, had given their approval on November 6, 2020. The order, also known as the Quadriga project, is now a reality. It covers the delivery of 30 single-seater and 8 two-seater aircraft. “Three of the aircraft will be equipped with additional test installations as Instrumented Test Aircraft for the further development of the Eurofighter programme,” explains the manufacturer.
The new Typhoons will replace the Tranche 1 air superiority variant currently operating within the Luftwaffe. “The new Tranche 4 Eurofighter is currently the most modern European-built combat aircraft with a service life well beyond 2060,” Dirk Hoke, CEO Airbus Defence and Space, said. “Its technical capabilities will allow full integration into the European Future Combat Air System,” Airbus and Dassault Aviation’s project to replace both the Typhoon and the Rafale by 2040.
The contract from Germany secures production until 2030, according to Airbus. The delivery of the fourth-generation fighter jets should start from 2025.
The 38 fighters are the first installment of Germany’s long-term acquisition plan of 93 Typhoons from Airbus, 30 Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets, and 15 of the variant for electronic warfare, the EA-18G Growler. The decisions on the remaining should be voted in the German parliament throughout 2021.