Eurofighter Typhoon Association: Germany prevented us from selling 48 Typhoon fighters to Saudi Arabia, but we have made progress

The head of the Eurofighter Typhoon consortium said the group is “preparing” for increased sales and additional batch orders, noting that market opportunities could cover 150 to 200 aircraft over the next two years.

Giancarlo Mezzanato, CEO of Eurofighter, the four-nation fighter jet’s management company, told media here at the Paris Airshow that plans are already in place for the “full support” of partner companies and suppliers to meet pressing export requirements and focus on how best to preserve the ” new production rate.

In terms of sales, Mezzanato said that an additional order from Spain under the Halcon 2 program could arrive at the Eurofighter soon. He added that the Phase 3 Enhancement Package (P3E) offered to Madrid for the acquisition will be similar to a batch of 20 Eurofighter Tranche IV aircraft, sold as part of the Halcon 1, and will replace F-18s for the Spanish Air Force stationed in the Canary Islands. Halcon 1 deliveries are expected to begin in 2026.

Halcon is a two-phase Spanish acquisition program to replace all F/A-18C/D aircraft split between the already-contracted Halcon 1 and the not-yet-awarded follow-on Halcon 2.

General Javier Salto Martínez Avial, commander of Spain’s Air and Space Forces, said in May that he wanted to see Spain’s Defense Ministry sign the Halcon 2 contract for 25 Eurofighters and was pressing for such a move quickly because deliveries could take another ten years.

Mezzanato also indicated that the Eurofighter order could be agreed with Poland after he said he had a meeting with a Polish delegation on Tuesday. He said: “We know their requirements and are ready to support them, I think Eurofighter Poland is really a good opportunity.”

According to Mezzanato, some progress has been made in the industry after Germany eased a tightening on arms exports to Saudi Arabia, which has long held up ordering a second batch of 48 aircraft.

Attempts to end the deal have been in limbo since the UK halted arms sales to Saudi Arabia in 2019, after the Court of Appeal in London ruled they were unlawful, arguing that the government had not properly assessed the risk of harm to civilians from coalition airstrikes in Yemen. Similarly, Germany imposed an arms embargo on Riyadh in response to the killing of Saudi-American journalist Jamal Khashoggi
involvement in the Yemen war.

The UK Ministry of Defense told the media in April that if Saudi Arabia wanted additional Typhoon fighters or wanted to upgrade the existing fleet of 72 aircraft it would “fully support” either decision.

Mezzanato also said Germany has yet to decide how to move forward with a plan to acquire additional Eurofighters to replace some of its Tornado jets, as Berlin looks to phase them out by 2030.