It follows the company’s participation at Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS 2014) earlier this month, reported the Gulf Daily News (GDN).
“HRM King Hamad has made certain statements in the last year saying that he is very interested in the Typhoon and we are hoping, as are the British government, that he will place an order with us,” BAE Systems Group Business Development Director Alan Garwood told GDN.
“It is far too early to say any more than that, but we have been listening to his intentions and if that is what His Majesty wants to do then we will deliver.”
In August, GDN reported that Bahrain was in talks about the possibility of buying an unspecified number of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets.
King Hamad met with British Prime Minister David Cameron while he was in London over the summer to discuss the deal.
Little has been said about the talks since, however, and it was feared in December that any possible deal might be under threat after talks between the Eurofighter consortium and the UAE fell through.
But UK Defence Secretary Phillip Hammond told GDN that he remained confident a deal with Bahrain could be done, largely down to the “deep and multi-faceted relationship” Bahrain enjoys with the UK.
“The news from the UAE obviously was disappointing. But we are very grateful to have had confirmation (from the UAE) that the aircraft matched all their requirements. It was nothing to do with the aircraft or its capabilities; it was the terms of the deal that was the sticking point,” Hammond said.
The presence of both an RAF Typhoon and a Saudi Typhoon at BIAS 2014 offered a unique opportunity to highlight the aircraft's features and enhancements, Hammond said.
“We know the Typhoon has got fabulous capabilities. But being able to bring it here and particularly being able to put an RAF Typhoon next to a Saudi Typhoon means we can showcase this as a “Gulf aircraft”. We hope very much that Bahrain will be joining the Typhoon family soon. I think it would be an excellent fit for the Royal Bahrain Air Force (RBAF),” he added.
A spokesman for the Bahrain Defence Force Guidance and Culture Directorate declined to comment on any potential deal to purchase the Typhoon aircraft.
Source: Gulf Daily News
