Germany has signed a Tranche 5 production contract to acquire a further batch of 20 Eurofighter combat aircraft, confirming an acquisition plan first announced in mid-2024.
Deliveries will run between 2031 and 2034, with Airbus Defence & Space performing final assembly at its Manching site near Munich.
“This new order is further proof of the Eurofighter’s importance to the German air force and the strategic role it plays in our country’s air defence and NATO capabilities,” says Airbus Defence & Space chief executive Mike Schoellhorn.
“With these additional Eurofighters, Germany strengthens its ability to conduct surveillance of its airspace and secure NATO’s skies, supporting Germany in its role as a reliable partner for collective security,” he adds.
Germany’s latest commitment comes on top of a Tranche 4 order for 38 Eurofighters, to be delivered via its Project Quadriga acquisition. Then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced plans for the 20-unit buy at the ILA Berlin air show in June 2024, with the new aircraft to replace part of the Luftwaffe’s Panavia Tornado IDS fleet.
Signed with the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency and the Eurofighter industry consortium on 15 October, the new contract includes the provision of 52 Eurojet EJ200 engines. The jets also will feature equipment including the Hensoldt-led ECRS Mk1 active electronically scanned array radar and Saab’s Arexis electronic warfare suite.
“These significant technological upgrades will further enhance the already broad operational capabilities of German air force Eurofighters,” Airbus Defence & Space says.
Meanwhile, Eurofighter chief executive Jorge Tamarit-Degenhardt describes the award as “excellent news for the Eurofighter programme and our industrial partners”.
“The big news for today, however, is the underlining of Germany’s long-term commitment to sovereign European air power,” he says. “The order ensures continuity in production, sustains critical skills across the supply chain, and reinforces Europe’s ability to defend itself for decades to come.”
Tamarit-Degenhardt notes that with Germany planning to fly the multi-role type “well beyond 2060, the Eurofighter jets’ technical capabilities will allow full integration into Europe’s future air combat environment”.
Along with France and Spain, Germany intends to field an operational Future Combat Air System capability from 2040, including a manned sixth-generation fighter, unmanned remote carrier vehicles and advanced air-launched weapons.
Confirmation of the German Tranche 5 contract also follows previous repeat Eurofighter orders from Italy and Spain, which currently total a combined 49 jets.
The four-nation Eurofighter consortium – which also includes the UK – also is eyeing potential further export orders for the type, with potential customers including Poland, Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
