Green light given for German Quadriga Eurofighters

The German budget committee has approved the purchase of 38 new Eurofighter Typhoons under the country’s Project Quadriga acquisition plan, releasing €5.5billion ($6.52 billion) in the process.

German Air Force Tranche 1 Eurofighters will be replaced to make way for Tranche 3 successors – referred to by the German MoD as Tranche 4.

‘Important replacement and exchange parts from tranche one are no longer manufactured’ the German MoD said in a 6 November statement. 

‘In the medium term, this would have meant that the jets would have been extensively and costly overhauled. With the new 38 aircraft, the Eurofighter fleet will have a uniform and more flexible range of capabilities in the future.’

The Tranche 3 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered between 2025 and 2030, in addition to a planned buy of 55 Eurofighters, due to replace an aging Tornado fleet, 30 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets taking on a nuclear delivery role and 15 EA-18G Growlers supporting an Electronic Attack requirement left vacant by the retiring of Tornado.

All Project Quadriga aircraft will be equipped with an E-Scan radar which includes a multichannel receiver.

The system will provide Germany with full national radar sovereignty, according to manufacturer Airbus.

The German MoD also confirmed that two Eurofighters which crashed in a midair collision in July 2019, will be replaced by two of the 38 aircraft being procured under Project Quadriga, with three also due to be used for testing purposes.

‘These [test aircraft] will be assigned to the future national [Eurofighter] test and development center,’ the MoD added.

‘The center is intended to provide significant support for future system support and further development of the modern e-scan radar, among other things.’

Related Programmes in Defence Insight

Project Quadriga [Germany]

Related Equipment in Defence Insight

Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 4/4+

Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 3A (Block 20, 25, 25C)