Last week's delayed signature of a €16 billion ($21 billion) contract for the production of 236 Eurofighter combat aircraft has been welcomed by the programme's four partner air forces and European industry alike, and has also been heralded as having removed a potential barrier to future export success.
The Tranche 2 deal covers the production of 89 aircraft for the UK, plus 68 for Germany, 46 for Italy and 33 for Spain. In a key move, these aircraft - and later production examples from the programme's current Tranche 1 phase - will get an accelerated air-to-ground strike capability. The UK's aircraft will deploy GPS- and laser-guided bombs and use the Litening targeting pod, says Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, UK Royal Air Force chief of air staff.
Agreement of this modification was key in delaying the signing of Tranche 2 since early this year, with the UK especially determined that ground-attack weapons be integrated as early as possible. "We have now got the capability we've been seeking," says Stirrup.
Source: Flight International