The Kuwait Air Force received on Tuesday the first two Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft of the latest and most advanced generation in the world, manufactured by the Italian Leonardo Group.

The ceremony of handing over the Kuwaiti planes at the Casilli base in Turin was led by Kuwait’s Ambassador to Italy Sheikh Azzam Al-Sabah, Deputy Commander of the Air Force Major General Pilot Bandar Al-Muzayen, CEO of the Italian Group Aircraft and Aerospace Company Marco Zoff, and CEO of the Eurofighter Joint Company Hermann Clasen, and many Kuwaiti dignitaries and officers.

On this occasion, Major General Al-Muzayen said in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA): “Today we attended the delivery of the first two aircraft of the Kuwaiti Eurofighter Regiment, the most modern in the world, which will arrive in Kuwait on December 14 to start delivering the next batches as a result of a comprehensive strategic project that represents a qualitative and conceptual leap for the readiness of Kuwaiti forces.

He pointed to the great effort exerted over the stages of the Kuwaiti Eurofighter project, which began in 2015 to design a modern aircraft that integrates the best current and future aviation and armament technologies capable of meeting and keeping pace with national defense needs in the face of various challenges, praising the efforts of the leaders that followed up and achieved this achievement.

The Deputy Commander of the Air Force explained that the Kuwaiti Eurofighter planes represent the latest standards of multi-role fighters in the world, characterized by electronic warfare capabilities, high-speed response ability, advanced and diversified missile armament, and the most advanced electronic scanning radar (Captor-E-Scan), which is a real leap for the air force that upgrades the skills of the Kuwaiti pilot.

He stressed that this boom, which “raises the ceiling of military capabilities in defending the homeland” and meets the requirements of the defense strategy and the protection of Kuwaiti airspace from any aggressor and all kinds of threats, is “the fruit of a wide cooperation between us and the Italian Air Force and with the Leonardo Group, which made the model designed according to Kuwaiti specifications and equipment the highest standard. This is the latest generation Eurofighter.

For his part, Ambassador Sheikh Azzam Al-Sabah expressed his pride in this great strategic achievement, which opens wide horizons of cooperation and partnership, expressing his deep appreciation for the important role of Italy in supporting security and stability in the Gulf region and global peace, as it is an extension of decades of solidarity in the same trench in the face of common threats since the battle to liberate Kuwait.

He said that “the Eurofighter project, which is bearing its first fruits today, is not just a purchase of military aircraft, but a new development in the level of international cooperation and partnership,” noting that “the Eurofighter project is a project and a strategic and development program between Kuwait and Italy” that falls within the strong friendship and cooperation that Kuwait is keen to continue and deepen.

He stressed that the Eurofighter project is a comprehensive project of design and manufacture according to the requirements and Kuwaiti vision, supply and an integrated program that includes the preparation of the human component of pilots and engineers, as well as the transfer and settlement of high technologies in Kuwait by qualifying the Ali Al-Salem base to provide training, maintenance and continuous updating to keep pace with everything that is new.

“Today, with this step, we are entering a new phase of cooperation and coordination between the Italian and Kuwaiti Ministries of Defense in order to establish an industrial, technical and educational base in the State of Kuwait,” he added.

In his speech, the CEO of the Aircraft and Space Company of Leonardo Group, Marco Zoff, stressed that the delivery of the first two Kuwaiti Eurofighter planes is not the end of a stage, but an important new beginning for the “real cooperation match”, not only in industrial cooperation, but also in the long bilateral relations between Italy and Kuwait, which was embodied in this great achievement.

“Today, we not only deliver the latest and most advanced Eurofighter aircraft that have ever flown, but we also provide a complete technical support service for the Kuwaiti Air Force and a real total system, meaning that we do not provide just aircraft, but rather advanced services and ground to create an integrated system for the development of Kuwait’s defense capabilities, which is considered the true purpose and true spirit of the partnership.

In his speech, the CEO of Eurofighter Hermann Claassen officially welcomed the Kuwaiti Air Force’s joining the Eurofighter family, the most advanced multi-purpose aircraft in the market, which has proven the highest efficiency in operations.

At the end of the ceremony, Ambassador Azzam Al-Sabah, Major General Pilot Bandar Al-Muzayen, the CEO of Leonardo Airlines, the CEO of Eurofighter and Colonel Pilot Sultan Al-Sabah signed a plaque commemorating this event, which inaugurates a new phase of advanced cooperation in the latest defense technologies between Italy and Kuwait. (KUNA; Photo © KUNA)