Spain is Ready to Have 20 Eurofighter Typhoon Fighters to Replace The F/A-18 Super Hornet

Spain is Ready to Have 20 Eurofighter Typhoon Fighters to Replace The F/A-18 Super Hornet

International Military - A country will replace its old fighter aircraft with a new fighter, one of which is Spain. Spain will receive 20 Eurofighter jets to replace some of the F-18s operated by the country's air force from the Canary Islands. This was conveyed by Airbus Defense and Space, the largest company from the industrial consortium that makes the plane.

The signing of the $2.1 billion deal at the Berlin Air Show on Thursday is part of Spain's broader plan to replace its aging fleet of about 70 Boeing-made F-18s.

The Eurofighter Typhoon has the key to replace Spain's oldest US-made aircraft, which is stationed on the popular tourist island of Gran Canaria in west Africa, and the government in Madrid approved the purchase in late 2021.

The Halcon program, as the Spaniards call the acquisition, includes 16 single- and four-seater jets, all equipped with e-scan radar. With deliveries scheduled to begin in 2026, the new deal will bring Spain's fleet of Eurofighters to 90, according to Airbus.

The NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) represents the four core governments involved in the program: Germany, the UK, Italy and Spain. Germany-based Eurofighter GmbH, vendor, representing participating industries from member countries, led by Airbus Defense and Space for Germany and Spain, BAE Systems for the UK and Leonardo for Italy.

The deal signed June 23 in Berlin also includes 48 EJ200 jet power plants, which were sold by a consortium of leading engine makers from the program's four countries, according to a statement by Eurofighter GmbH. Spanish Eurofighters gather at Airbus' Getafe site south of Madrid.

Mike Schoellhorn, chief executive of Airbus Defense and Space said "this additional order strengthens Spain's commitment not only to the Eurofighter but also to its development and industrial environment".

Airbus has proposed modernizing its Eurofighter fleet as a stepping stone to the Future Combat Air System, or FCAS, a German-French-Spanish program intended to replace the types in Germany and Spain, and the Rafale in France.

The program has been in limbo, however, over an industry leadership claim by France's Dassault that Airbus executives said they couldn't accept because it would force them to leave their own main line of business in avionics.

Quoted from Military Today, the Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role fighter is planned to remain operational into the 21st century. The Eurofighter Typhoon is claimed to have the same effective combat capability as the American F-22 Raptor. This is an approximate estimate, but it appears the Typhoon is superior to the F-15 Eagle, French Rafale, Russian-developed Su-27 variants, such as the Su-35, as well as many other aircraft.