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2020-12-13

Germany Confirms Eurofighters under Project Quadriga

Airbus recently signed a contract to deliver 38 new Eurofighter aircraft to the German Air Force. This makes Germany the largest ordering nation in one of Europe’s biggest defence programme. The order, also known by its project name Quadriga, covers the delivery of 30 single-seater and eight twin-seater Eurofighters. Three of the aircraft will be equipped with additional test installations as Instrumented Test Aircraft for the further development of the Eurofighter programme.

The renewed order from Germany secures production until 2030 and comes at a strategically important time for the programme. In addition to an expected Eurofighter order from Spain to replace its legacy F-18s, procurement decisions in Switzerland and Finland are reportedly imminent in 2021.

The variant offered in Switzerland corresponds to the configuration of the German Quadriga order. The equipment includes an electronic radar, future-proof hardware and software and multi-role capability for engaging air and ground targets.

BAE Systems will deliver more than a third of the components for each of the new Typhoons ordered by the German Air Force including the aircraft front fuselage and tail. Work will commence in 2021 at BAE Systems’ sites in Lancashire, UK, maintaining continuity of Typhoon production through to the mid-2020s.

Final assembly of the new Typhoons will be undertaken by Airbus in Manching, Germany. The new aircraft will join the existing German Air Force Typhoon fleet from the mid-2020s and will be equipped with the latest technology, including an advanced electronically-scanning radar.

Defence Collaboration

The Eurofighter Typhoon surpassed the combined 500,000-flight hour milestone in 2018. This twin-engine aircraft is based on the collaboration of four European nations and their aerospace/defence industries: Germany, Spain, the UK and Italy. Airbus has the largest ownership in the industrial grouping (46 per cent), handling its production activities at the company’s facilities in Germany and Spain.

Nearly 550 Typhoons were in service by early 2020 with the air forces of the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Saudi Arabia and Oman; the potential is for this figure to grow in the coming decades.

The Typhoon’s weapons carrying capability has been regularly enhanced through steps that included integration of the advanced medium range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM), the Storm Shadow low-observable air-launched cruise missile, advanced helmet-mounted symbology system (HMSS), Enhanced Paveway II bombs and Captor-E (E-Scan) radar. The aircraft has been combat-proven during operations in Libya, Iraq and Syria.

Looking ahead, the Typhoon will play a key role in the evolving battlespace and will be a central pillar in the future European combat air system. By integrating key technologies, the aircraft will remain ready to defend against threats for decades to come.

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