LE BOURGET—Eurofighter CEO Giancarlo Mezzanatto has suggested the four-nation combat aircraft program could secure as many as 200 orders in the next two years.
Speaking to journalists at the Paris Air Show on June 21, Mezzanatto, who runs the joint venture that coordinates the multi-national Eurofighter Typhoon program, suggests the aircraft will receive top-up orders from existing customers, as well as find new markets.
“We are getting prepared and fully support our partner companies on the export market and in order to meet all these demands,” Mezzanatto says.
Mezzanatto will not elaborate on sales campaigns, but notes Spain's interest in acquiring around 25 Eurofighters for its planned Halcon II fighter requirement to begin replacing the country's McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C/D Hornets. He says Poland is “a really good opportunity,” as Warsaw mulls acquisition of an air superiority aircraft.
Other potential sales could be Saudi Arabia's long-awaited Batch 2 purchase of at least 48 aircraft that could replace the country's Panavia Tornado fleet, while BAE Systems is leading a campaign to sell the aircraft in Turkey to replace the country's F-4 Phantoms.
Mezzanatto suggests the potential sales are a result of the new European regional security situation. He is also bullish on efforts to upgrade the platform, a process often slowed by the bureaucratic process of obtaining approval and funding from each of the partner nations.
He says work is underway to bring the so-called Phase 4 Enhancements (P4E) program onto contract by the end of the year, enabling an initial operating capacity by 2028.
P4E is seen as essential for Germany in bringing roles currently performed by its Panavia Tornado platform onto the Eurofighter, including the suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses (SEAD/DEAD) and long-range strike. In the days leading up to the show, Germany selected a Saab-developed electronic warfare system called Arexis, which will be assessed to see how it can be integrated onto the aircraft.
Other changes planned for P4E include the integration of the European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk. 1, which will be a feature of the 38 Quadriga aircraft being acquired by Germany and the 20 Halcon project aircraft being purchased by Spain.
It is also expected that P4E changes will involve the Taurus KEPD 350 air-launched cruise missile that is currently launched from the Tornado in Germany and by the F/A-18 Hornet in Spain. Further P4E alterations could also involve the Northrop Grumman Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) for the SEAD/DEAD task.
Future upgrades, including the P5E and P6E, would begin to introduce elements from the Eurofighter's planned Long-Term Evolution initiative, including a mid-life update. Eurofighter is following a 10-year roadmap of development that has been endorsed by the defense ministers of the four core nations, Mezzanatto adds.
“We are really aiming to have a technology maturation phase for LTE starting soon,” he says.
Mezzanatto adds that he wants to realign the European core-nation fleet of Eurofighters following significant divergence between the fleets. The UK Royal Air Force has taken a significant lead over other Eurofighter nations in the introduction of new capabilities, such as the MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, and standoff weapons, like the Storm Shadow cruise missile. Other partner nations have barely begun carrying the Meteor, let alone using it operationally on Quick Reaction Alert missions.
“One of my objectives in this mandate ... is to try to align as much as possible the fleet of our customers,” Mezzanatto says. “This will be to the best advantage of the nations.”