Eurofighter GmbH announced that a contract has been signed by the State of Kuwait for the procurement of 28 Eurofighter Typhoons.
The front fuselage, vertical tail and other detail manufacturing work for the 28 aircraft will be undertaken in the UK by BAE Systems and final assembly of the aircraft will take place in Italy by Finmeccanica.
The contract signature for 22 single-seat and six twin-seat follows the announcement of an agreement between the State of Kuwait and the Italian Government for the procurement of the aircraft on 11th September 2015. The aircraft will be of Tranche 3 standard and will be equipped with the E-Scan radar.
The contract confirms the State of Kuwait as the eighth customer in the programme and as the third customer in the Gulf Region next to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman.
Speaking on behalf of the consortium and its Eurofighter Partner Companies (EPC) the CEO of Eurofighter, Volker Paltzo, said: “We are delighted to officially welcome the State of Kuwait as a new member of the Eurofighter family.
“The confirmation of this order is further testament of the growing interest in the Eurofighter Typhoon in the Gulf Region. It will enable Kuwait to benefit from the critical mass being developed in the Gulf and the many advantages that it brings to an Air Force in terms of interoperability, training and in-service support,” he aded.
The front fuselage, vertical tail and other detail manufacturing work for the 28 aircraft will be undertaken in the UK by BAE Systems and final assembly of the aircraft will take place in Italy by Finmeccanica.
A statement from BAE Systems said: “We welcome the signing of the contract today between Italy and Kuwait for the supply of 28 Eurofighter Typhoons. The State of Kuwait will be the third country in the Middle East, and the eighth country overall to operate the aircraft. This confirms Typhoon’s position as the most advanced new generation swing role combat aircraft available today.”
Since entry into service of the first Eurofighter Typhoon at the end of 2003, more than 470 aircraft have been delivered to six nations: Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Austria and Saudi Arabia.
The Kuwaiti order follows an order by Oman in December 2012 for twelve aircraft. Eurofighter Typhoon is currently in service at 22 operational units and up to now, the whole fleet has completed more than 330,000 flying hours worldwide.
Eurofighter Typhoon is the most advanced new generation multi-role/swing-role combat aircraft currently available on the world market. Eight customers (Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Austria, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait) have already ordered the Eurofighter Typhoon.
With 599 aircraft ordered, Eurofighter Typhoon is currently the largest military procurement program in Europe. Its high technology strengthens the position of European aerospace industry in the international market. The program secures more than 100,000 jobs in 400 companies.
