Kuwait receives its first two Eurofighter Typhoons
The first Eurofighter Typhoons for the Kuwait Air Force landed in country today, which are part of a wider order for a total of 28 aircraft.
Image copyright Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH
The Eurofighter Typhoon for the Kuwait Air Force feature a wide range of operational capabilities, built according to the specific requirements of the Kuwaiti Air Force.
Leonardo represents about 36% of the value of the entire programme, with its key role in the aeronautical components and the on-board electronics, including the new AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar that equips the Eurofighter Typhoons for Kuwait, which increases the aircraft's performance and competitiveness.
"This is an excellent operation for Italy, demonstrating the success of Italian products abroad and an important step towards consolidating the position of Italian industry in the world. Defence is a stimulus for the development of innovative and increasingly advanced technological solutions", Italian Defence Minister Lorenzo Guerini stated today after the delivery.
Alessandro Profumo, Chief Executive Officer of Leonardo, said: “The Eurofighter Typhoons we have developed and produced for the Kuwait Air Force are the most advanced in the whole history of the European programme. We will provide the country with an impressive air defence capability. In cooperation with the Italian Air Force we trained their pilots in our training centres in Italy, we built state-of-the-art infrastructures to support and maintain a fleet of 28 aircraft. The milestones we are celebrating today is the result of the effective cooperation between the two countries, where Institutions, Armed Forces and Industry have worked together in synergy.”
The Eurofighter aircraft benefits from a well-defined programme of technological updating and improvement that guarantees its competitiveness throughout its entire lifecycle. Constantly evolving technologies, both on board the aircraft and in the context of logistical support, increase its operational effectiveness, survivability, and efficient management.
The Eurofighter programme is a cornerstone in the development of European aerospace and defence technologies and provides the industries involved with technological leadership that will guarantee competitiveness for many next generation programmes.
The Eurofighter programme is managed by the Eurofighter GmbH consortium, a company based in Munich (Germany) owned by Leonardo, BAE Systems and Airbus Defence & Space for Germany and Spain. On the government side, the programme is managed by the NATO Eurofighter & Tornado Management Agency (NETMA), which was set up to meet the procurement needs of the air forces from the four participating countries: Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain.
In addition to the four partner countries, which have already ordered 510 Typhoons, international customers now include Saudi Arabia (72 aircraft), Austria (15), Oman (12), Kuwait (28) and Qatar (24), a total of 661 ordered planes.
In terms of workforce, the Eurofighter programme involves more than 100,000 people in Europe and over 400 suppliers.