Aviation
Military /
Europe
modernization
Spain orders 20 Eurofighter fighter jets
Eurofighter
Spanish Air Force
CC BY-SA 2.0, via wikimedia commons
Rafael Ramos
6/23/2022
During the ILA Air Show 2022, a contract signed by the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) was announced for the acquisition of 20 Eurofighter fighter jets by the Spanish Air Force, 16 units of the single-seat version and 4 of the two-seat version. The model chosen is the most up-to-date, equipped with a new advanced electronically scanned radar.
With the fighter in operation since 2003, 73 units have already been delivered to Spain. However, four aircraft crashed, leaving 69. With the new aircraft, the Spanish Eurofighter fleet should reach 89 units, which should be delivered from 2026 onwards. The planes will occupy a fundamental place to position the Spanish Air Force among its NATO allies.
The fighters are expected to replace the F/A-18 fleet operated by the Spanish Air Force in the Canary Islands. The F/A-18 is slated to retire in 2024.
Final assembly and delivery of the aircraft to Spain will be carried out by Airbus in Getafe, Spain.
The acquisition was approved by the Spanish Council of Ministers on December 14, 2021 and includes the aircraft, engines, simulator and the necessary support services. The value of the contract is 2.15 billion dollars.
Despite its recognized capabilities, the aircraft has struggled in the export market, recording 681 aircraft orders for nine countries since the first production contract was signed in January 1998.
Four nations were responsible for developing the jet, which together ordered 530 aircraft (Germany 181, UK 160, Italy 96 and Spain 93). Other than these, the Eurofighter has only been successfully delivered to Austria (15), Oman (12), Saudi Arabia (72) and Kuwait, which has received four of the 28 orders so far. Qatar is expected to receive the first of 24 on order later this year.
Eurofighter
German Air Force
CC BY-SA 3.0, via wikimedia commons
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Rafael Ramos
Aviation enthusiast from an early age, he had his first contacts with the area developing that good old habit of spending dozens of hours in front of the screens of Micrsoft Flight Simulator and other simulators. With a solid background in various technological areas, including engineering and chemistry, Rafael has rejoined aviation as editor and author of articles and materials on our portal, providing invaluable help to the dynamics and expansion of the website and the aeronautical community, bringing us the news and updates so indispensable for us to remain current in our area of operation.
   
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