Following the offer from Eurofighter GmbH in mid-October 2020, confirmation has now come from the Spanish Government, that the Matador Country has officially ordered 20 Typhoon fighter jets to replace the F/A-18 Hornet currently based on the Canary Islands.
The news was released by Airbus Defense and Space (ADS) on June 23, 2022, that the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) has signed an important contract for the acquisition of 20 next-generation Eurofighter jets.
Known as the Halcon programme, the order will include delivery of a fleet of Eurofighter Typhoons equipped with an E-Scan (Electronically Scanned) radar with a composition of 16 single and 4 double seats. Early versions of the Typhoon were equipped with the mechanically scanned CAPTOR-M radar.
This radar still adheres to the conventional system, namely scanning is done by physically directing the antenna. This radar was later replaced with the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) CAPTOR-E.
This contract will bring the Spanish Eurofighter fleet to a total of 90 aircraft. With the first delivery in 2026, the new aircraft will enhance and position the Spanish Air Force's fighter fleet among NATO allies with the most modern fighter jets developed in Europe, and last but not least, Spain will directly participate in securing its defense industry activities until 2030. Along with Britain, Germany and Italy, Spain is known as a member country of the Typhoon fighter jet developer consortium.
"This additional order reinforces Spain's commitment not only to the Eurofighter but also to its development and industrial environment," said Mike Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defense and Space, in a press release. This procurement acquisition is valued at €2.043 billion, and was approved by the Spanish Council of Ministers on 14 December 2021, which includes the procurement including the aircraft, engines, simulators and necessary support services.
The Typhoon fleet of fighter jets has served the Spanish Air Force since 2003, the country's air force operates the Eurofighter from the Morón (11th Wing) and Albacete (14th Wing) air bases, securing Spanish territory and playing a key role at the heart of NATO in various air patrol missions in Baltic and more recently the Black Sea. With the arrival of this new aircraft, Spain will also equip a third base with Eurofighter jets, namely at Gando, Canary Islands, which is home to the 46th Wing.
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| Typhoon's mainstay weapon variant |
The Spanish Eurofighter is assembled, tested and delivered from the Airbus Getafe (Spain) facility. Major national defense and technology companies are involved in the manufacturing process.
Airbus has also been working at Getafe in coordination with the Armament and Experimental Logistics Center (CLAEX) of the Spanish Air Force to make various modifications such as the implementation of the new CM02+ software package for the Tranche 1 Eurofighter.
The main tactical improvement offered by the software is the new capacity for automatic targeting of air-to-surface weapons following the integration of the Litening-III targeting pod. Further air-to-air and air-to-surface capabilities have also been introduced, along with communication system upgrades.
Eurofighter is the largest defense program in Europe. In addition to its technological capabilities, the Eurofighter Typhoon project has helped secure more than 100,000 jobs in Europe. To date, the Eurofighter program has recorded 681 aircraft orders to 9 countries around the world.
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