Finmeccanica signs contract to supply 28 Eurofighter Typhoons to Kuwait
The contract, part of an intergovernmental agreement between the two countries, was signed in the presence of the Italian Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti and HE Sheikh Gen. Khaled Al Jarrah Al Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, State of Kuwait.
The contract signed by Finmeccanica includes logistics, operational support and the training of flight crews and ground personnel, which will be carried out in cooperation with the Italian Air Force. The contract also provides for the upgrade of ground-based infrastructure in Kuwait which will be used for Typhoon operations.
The Eurofighter Typhoon for Kuwait, which will be provided in its most advanced configuration, will be equipped with the cutting-edge new E-Scan radar (Electronically Scanned array radar). The radar is developed by the European EuroRADAR consortium.
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CAPTOR-E is the future primary sensor on Eurofighter Typhoon. It is Wide Field of Regard AESA radar which is the evolutionary approach to the proven Captor- M radar by technology insertion. The fighter’s large nose aperture, combined with the ability to move the antenna, will give the Eurofighter Typhoon greater ‘vision’, delivering better operational performance to the aircraft and its weapon systems.
The contract with Kuwait was signed following a thorough flight and technical evaluation of a number of competing aircraft in the same category. It is part of a wide-ranging partnership between the Italian Ministry of Defence and the Kuwait Ministry of Defence, which will continue to strengthen cooperation between the two nations and other European members of the Eurofighter consortium (the UK, Germany and Spain).
“This is Finmeccanica’s largest ever commercial achievement", said Mauro Moretti, Finmeccanica CEO and General Manager. "It is an outstanding industrial success with significant benefits, not only for our company and the other Eurofighter consortium partners, but also for the entire Italian aerospace industry. The contract will support expertise and skilled jobs at Italian small and medium-sized security and defence companies.”
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.”
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 Kuwait order follows an order by Oman in December 2012 for twelve aircraft. Eurofighter Typhoon is currently in service at 22 operational units and to-date, the entire fleet has completed more than 330,000 flying hours worldwide.