Supplier collaboration and innovation will be vital for the future success of the Eurofighter program a special conference heard this May.

Held in Hallbergmoos, Munich, Germany, the conference included key industry partners from across the Eurofighter Typhoon program’s supply chain, which comprises more than 400 suppliers in Europe, sustaining over 100,000 jobs. 

They were briefed on the current and future opportunities being pursued by Eurofighter and its partner companies, BAE Systems, Leonardo and Airbus, in Europe - where there are potentially in excess of 300 new combat aircraft orders – and beyond.

They were also given a detailed update regarding Germany’s requirement to replace its current fleet of Tornado aircraft, and Eurofighter’s response to it, which was provided to the German government in April.

Volker Paltzo (photo), CEO of Eurofighter said: “It’s hard to overstate the importance of the Eurofighter program to industry right across Europe in terms of jobs, innovation and skills. That’s why this conference was so vital.

“Together we were able to discuss the opportunities and challenges that the future is set to bring. Our suppliers have a vital role to play in making it a successful one, but they need to know the strategic direction we are heading in, what our customers expect and how they need to gear up to help make it happen.

“As well as looking to the future, we also emphasized the need for continued focus on the current requirements of our partner air forces, supporting their operational requirements now.

“Throughout the conference, two common themes were collaboration and innovation. We believe these are crucial to our current and future success and will help us secure further opportunities for the Eurofighter program in terms of both future development and sales of the aircraft.

With 623 aircraft ordered, Eurofighter Typhoon is currently the largest military procurement program in Europe, and the backbone of NATO’s European air defense.

Eurofighter Typhoon is the most advanced swing-role combat aircraft currently available on the world market and can be deployed in the full spectrum of air operations including air policing, peace support and high intensity conflict.