Eurofighter targets potential sales of more than 200 additional Typhoons

Multiple further opportunities exist to add to production backlog, consortium says.
The Eurofighter consortium sees a potential market need for in excess of 200 more Typhoon combat aircraft, with operations of the type to run beyond 2060.

Current sales targets for the four-nation industrial team exist with Austria, for 36 jets, Saudi Arabia (54), and Turkey (24), says Eurofighter chief engineering and operations officer Cristiano Montrucchio.

Existing Eurofighter operator Austria, which has 15 Tranche 1-standard examples, is seeking a replacement capability, while Saudi Arabia – which has 72 in-service Typhoons – has a long-standing follow-on need. Having signed for 20 of the aircraft late last year, Turkey is also viewed as having a possible requirement to purchase a second batch, the consortium believes.

Possible further opportunities exist for around 150 more examples, Montrucchio says, with already identified candidates including Bangladesh, the Philippines and Portugal.

Such sales are being sought as a “focus of ours to enlarge the [programme] footprint and enlarge the combat mass for our four partner nations and export [operators]”, he says. “Also, in a few years there will be some other opportunities for new customers, or for increasing the number of aircraft for our already achieved customers.”

With repeat orders already in place for a trio of core programme nations – Germany, Italy and Spain – industrial partners Airbus Defence & Space, BAE Systems and Leonardo are in the process of increasing output.

“In the last year we set the basis for this increase in delivery rate, [so we are] able to produce more jets in a shorter time,” Montrucchio said at the Defence iQ International Fighter Conference in Munich on 4 November.

This has already seen annual capacity increased from 14 aircraft to above 20, with the goal of eventually achieving “rate 30”.

The Eurofighter programme has to date secured orders for 769 aircraft, and delivered 619 of those. Additional near-term shipments will include remaining examples for Kuwait, Montrucchio says, with 25 of the Middle East nation’s 28 jets already handed over, and the rest to follow “in a few months”.

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