On December 7, the first two of the 28 Eurofighters ordered by Kuwait were handed over at a ceremony in Caselle near Turin in the presence of the Kuwaiti Ambassador to Italy, Sheikh Azzam Al-Sabah, and the Deputy Commander of the Kuwaiti Air Force (KAF), Air Vice-Marshal Staff Bandar Al-Mezyen.
“This is a milestone in our comprehensive strategy to bring about a quantum leap in the readiness of the Kuwaiti Air Force and the fruit of a long history of defense cooperation with Italy. The squadron’s new equipment meets the world’s latest standards for multi-role fighters in terms of electronic warfare, the fastest response capability, the advanced and diversified missile weapons and the active e-scan radar. This will boost our national defense capabilities and enhance the capabilities of Kuwaiti military pilots,” said Al-Mezyan. The two aircraft will arrive at their new home at the modernized Al-Salem airbase in Kuwait as early as next week. Of course, they were – as is customary internationally with one exception – two-seaters, on which the first flight instructors trained in Lecce will now begin implementation in Kuwait. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLwvb7rMgAk&t=99s The most modern Typhoon to date
The 28 Eurofighters (22 single-seaters and 6 two-seaters) were purchased by Kuwait in 2016 as part of a contract with (then) Leonardo-Finmeccanica for the Eurofighter consortiumworth around 7.7 billion euros. It also includes the training of pilots and ground personnel by the Italian Air Force and Leonardo, as well as logistics and an initial operational support package for three years. It also includes the provision of equipment and devices to enable the installation of an operational retraining unit in Kuwait and the modernization of the Al-Salem airbase to house the Typhoon squadron.
Take a seat in a Kuwait Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon taking part in the celebrations for Kuwait National Day. For some background about the Kuwait Air Force Typhoons ???????? read here: https://t.co/1MyXwh50it pic.twitter.com/6AvgSPJq0d
– The Aviationist (@TheAviationist) February 25, 2022
As the Kuwaiti AVM mentioned and Airbus and Leonardo have repeatedly emphasized, the KAF is the first customer for the latest multi-role standard of the Typhoon Tranche-3, which is equipped with the first production version of the Captor-E AESA active electronically scanned array (or ECRS Mk.0) on-board radar and other upgrades. Functions that other export customers such as Qatar or the 38 aircraft replacing the German Air Force’s T1 will also adopt in the future. That ECRS Mk.0 on-board radar is characterized by high emission performance and a very wide exploration field (200°), made possible by the combination of electronic scanning with a mobile antenna base – in contrast to the fixed AESA antennas of most modern fighter aircraft. With the new standard Phase 3 upgrade package (abbreviation: P3Eb), the KAF aircraft are currently the most advanced Eurofighters in the world, as the Kuwaiti Entry-into-Service (EIS) standard also includes the Sniper Advanced laser target illumination pod with data link, VOR navigation capability and the P5 ACMI pod (which provides real-time air-to-air training that mimics the use of IRIS-T and AMRAAM-C7 missiles and the 27mm cannon respectively).
Armament
The initial armament includes free-fall bombs (Mk.82, .83 and .84 series), IRIS-T and AIM-120C7 AMRAAM missiles. The system will initially be able to train with MBDA’s long-range Meteor ballistic missile (BVR), which far outperforms the AIM-120. Later, the Kuwaiti aircraft will be upgraded to the KAF Enhanced standard, introducing improvements to the ECRS Mk.0 radar, full capability to use the Meteor, GBU-31 JDAM precision bombs, an improved sniper pod and upgrades to the P5 ACMI training system. The package will also allow the integration of MBDA’s Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles and Brimstone air-to-ground missiles. Diversification
Kuwait has selected a replacement for its F/A-18C/D Legacy Hornets – for which as reported Tunisia – but has ordered not only Eurofighter T3s but also 28 F/A-18E/F Block-III Super Hornet Advanced (also 22 single-seaters and 6 two-seaters). With the delivery of the Typhoons now beginning in Italy and the imminent handover of the first Super Hornet, the KAF will have one of the most modern and capable fleets in the Middle East. The first completed KAF F/A-18E was spotted at “touch-and-go” at the Boeing factory airfield at Lambert International Airport in September, although Boeing announced in January that delivery to the US Navy (which will then hand over the aircraft under the FMS regime) would be delayed until next year due to Covid problems. Other known technical details include an AESA radar (Raytheon AN/APG-79) and a large-format glass cockpit display from – previously unthinkable – ELBIT from Israel.
The deployment of two separate fighter fleets from different sources is a new prospect for Kuwait, but follows what is becoming common practice among the Gulf states. In addition to Saudi Arabia, with its long history of procuring American and British fighter aircraft, Qatar purchased its eightfold (!) increase in fighter aircraft from three different sources (Boeing, Airbus, Dassault), while the UAE has not yet finalized its latest Dassault order of 80 Rafále (Military News reported) could also – should the Biden administration’s “conditions” be overcome – add another 50 F-35 stealth jets. This policy not only ensures political and military relationships with the various supplier nations, but should also help to ensure the long-term availability of enough fighter aircraft if one of the links to a manufacturer is (politically) cut. Although the KAF is quite small – compared to the Gulf – it has traditionally maintained a high level of performance and invested in good training. In addition, the force has gained recent combat experience supporting the Saudi Arabia-led coalition’s military intervention in Yemen and flying airstrikes against the Huthi rebels. Including 5-Star Club
The procurement of the Typhoon was accompanied by disagreements and complaints about the costs and has therefore dragged on for more than five years. Although Kuwait is also a monarchy, the parliament apparently has more rights and options than is usual in the region. Inquiries by the parliamentary standing committee raised the question of why each Eurofighter costs around 90 million euros for other countries (with full equipment), while in the case of Kuwait it amounted to 285 million euros per unit? Oman would have paid 1.99 billion euros to the British for its 24 Typhoons – which have already been delivered – and the Saudis would have received a total of 72 units (of an earlier version) for 7.85 billion euros years ago.
According to reports, the ministers (initially) involved in the Eurofighter aircraft deal were responsible for a large-scale waste of state funds in securing the purchase. However, this was not because of the aircraft themselves, but because of “the financial inclusion of several so-called annexes for ancillary facilities”. For example, for the construction of a new five-star club for use by the fighter pilots or a water desalination station for the Al-Salem base. Contracts for the construction of these facilities were “awarded to a specific local contracting company”, although – even according to guidelines in Kuwait – contracts of this size (not for the armaments) should be offered separately to several contractors. Criminal investigations (also by the national anti-corruption authority NACAHA) are ongoing, but hearings and negotiations are only possible to a limited extent due to Covid restrictions on movement and are therefore only taking place with great delay. See also Report in the Kuwait Times.
Here for more news about Leonardo and here to further Eurofighter news.
