Jane's:
Eurofighter named as partners push for tranche three go ahead
By Tim Ripley
UK Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon will give the Eurofighter a public show of support at the Farnborough airshow today (23 July) but European aviation industry executives are showing increasing concern that the third tranche of the European combat aircraft could fall victim to budget cuts.
Up to four Eurofighter Development Aircraft will take to the skies over Farnborough during the coming week and visitors will get the chance to see the first public appearance of the first UK production aircraft – IPA1. This event will mark the official adoption of the Typhoon name for the Royal Air Force. Political leaders and air force staff from the four partner nations - UK, Germany, Italy, Spain - will also be on hand to see Hoon name the aircraft.
UK media reports earlier this month of a budget battle between the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury over the fate of the last 80 Eurofighters from the RAF order for 232 aircraft have left industrialists worried that the largest European collaborative project to build 620 aircraft could be cut back. "If the British, who have been the programme's biggest exponents, back away from the their numbers then you could expect the other partners to quickly follow suit," said one British aerospace industry executive. "Tens of thousands of jobs are at stake and the exportability of aircraft will be called into question if the Eurofighter doesn't get the multi-role capabilities being developed for the third tranche of Eurofighter."
Ministry of Defence officials refused to be drawn on the subject beyond saying that meetings were on-going to "match the ministry's recent budget settlement with its forward equipment programme". A key ministry committee was due to meet late last week to discuss UK long-term procurement plans but its decisions are still being closely guarded. The meeting was reportedly to address a projected £5 billion procurement overspend in the period 2009-2014 – the period in which the third tranche of Eurofighters are to be built – with one option understood to include using some of the 150 Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs) being bought for the RAF and Royal Navy to fulfil the strike missions envisaged for later versions of the Eurofighter..............
Jane's