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Eurofighter’s Loss Is Rafale’s Gain! France Eyes 174 Fighter Contract As Germany Confused On Export Policies

Once hailed as the epitome of cutting-edge aerial warfare, the Eurofighter Typhoon soared to prominence in the early 2000s, emerging as one of the “world’s most advanced combat aircraft.”

However, its glory days seem to be fading a bit.

In the ring with the Typhoon is the Rafale, a contender that emerged almost a decade after its European counterpart. Surprisingly, the Rafale is swiftly closing in on the Typhoon’s sales figures.

Presently, the scoreboard shows 680 Eurofighter Typhoons ordered by nine nations, 603 of which have already been delivered, versus 495 Rafales ordered, including 234 by France alone.

These numbers paint a vivid picture, but a perplexing question looms: What is causing the once-mighty Typhoon to struggle to establish its market presence? To unravel this enigma, one must delve into the fighter jet’s storied history and the intensifying competition that has reshaped the battlefield.

History Of Eurofighter Typhoon

The Eurofighter Typhoon, a European multinational twin-engine, supersonic, canard delta wing, multi-role fighter, was originally designed for air superiority. With two engines producing approximately 150,000 horsepower and achieving speeds up to Mach 2.35 (nearly 2,900 kilometers per hour), the Eurofighter Typhoon is an all-weather, twin-engine, multi-role combat aircraft capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground operations.

On March 27, 1994, the Eurofighter Typhoon DA1 (Development Aircraft) made its maiden flight in Manching, Bavaria. The German Air Force introduced the first Eurofighter into service in 2003, marking 30 years since its inaugural flight.

The Eurofighter consortium, comprised of Airbus (Airbus Germany supplies the center fuselage section, Airbus Spain the right wing), BAE Systems (UK), together with Leonardo (Italy), oversees the management of the Eurofighter Typhoon in collaboration with the four partner nations.

The consortium includes Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain, with five export customers: Austria (15 aircraft), Saudi Arabia (72), Oman (12), Kuwait (28), and Qatar (24).

Germany’s Eurofighter Replacement Plan

Germany, one of the nations involved in the Eurofighter’s joint development, has unveiled plans to replace the formidable aircraft with the New Generation Fighter. Right now, it is involved in developing the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a ‘6th Generation’ fighter being developed by Dassault Aviation, Airbus, and Indra Sistemas.


The country also preferred to acquire 5th-generation F-35 fighters from the US to boost its defenses like most European nations.

Airbus is presently producing 38 Tranche 4 Eurofighters, dubbed the Quadriga, in Manching near Ingolstadt for the German Air Force. The company is scheduled to deliver 30 single-seaters and eight twin-seaters between 2025 and 2030, as per the contract signed at the close of 2020.

These new aircraft are intended to replace the Bundeswehr’s initial tranche of Eurofighters. According to current projections, Eurofighter production in Germany will cease in 2030 upon the delivery of the final Tranche 4 aircraft. This would result in a 10-year production hiatus for the domestic industry until the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) becomes operational in 2040.

Without a subsequent order, combat aircraft manufacturing in Germany would cease imminently, resulting in job losses, diminished tax revenues, and a loss of cutting-edge technologies and expertise.

To avert this scenario, Airbus asserts that timely initiation of the further development of the Eurofighter (Long-Term Evolution; LTE) and a decisive commitment to procuring new Eurofighters (Tranche 5) are essential.

Spain’s Stance

Airbus is ready to deliver 20 new Tranche 4 Eurofighters to the Spanish Air Force from 2026 to 2030. Halcon 2 would comprise around 25 Eurofighters for the Spanish Air Force.

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