With yesterday’s parliamentary decision on the replacement procurement of the Eurofighter weapon system with the so-called Tranche 4, the German Air Force will be able to use this fighter aircraft to its full extent well into the middle of the century. It is a decisive step towards meeting Germany’s obligations to NATO.
The Chief of Staff of the German Air Force, Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, welcomes the Bundestag’s decision: “This important decision strengthens our capabilities in the German Air Force. By replacing the outdated and repair-prone Tranche 1, we are increasing the operational readiness of the Eurofighter fleet and thus our reliability within the Alliance.” The first-generation Eurofighters have been in service since 2004. Over the years, they have presented the air force with ever greater challenges. The technology can only be kept operational at great expense, and there are sometimes bottlenecks in the procurement of spare parts. With the now decided influx of a total of 38 Tranche 4 Eurofighters, the German Air Force will receive a multi-role capable aircraft which – unlike Tranche 1 – can be used not only against enemy aircraft, but also against targets on the ground. Germany has made a commitment to NATO to provide both. The new fighter aircraft will be equipped with state-of-the-art “Active Electronically Scanned Array” (AESA) radars. This means that the Air Force is also taking a huge technological step in terms of digitalization. In addition to 34 aircraft for operational flight operations, the decision also includes four so-called “instrumented” Eurofighters. These aircraft, specially equipped for test purposes, will be used to continuously develop the weapon system in cooperation with the defense industry. A “National Test & Evaluation Centre Eurofighter” will be created at the same time as the delivery of Tranche 4, in which the German Air Force, the Bundeswehr’s procurement and certification organization and industry will work together directly. In this center, the Air Force will also have direct access to the instrumented Eurofighters for the first time – a quantum leap, particularly for the further development of tactical procedures.
Here for more Eurofighter news.
