Germany to bolster defense with 20 new Eurofighter jets
Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany will order 20 new Eurofighter jets on Wednesday. "Russia's attack on Ukraine in violation of international law has presented the whole of Germany with a new security policy reality," he stated.
5:17 PM EDT, June 5, 2024
"Today, we see more clearly than ever how important it is to have a European and German defense industry that can continuously produce all major types of weapons and the necessary ammunition," said Olaf Scholz during the opening of the ILA air show in Berlin.
In his opinion, politicians in Germany underestimated this sector in the past, but that is now in the past. "Russia's attack on Ukraine in violation of international law has presented the whole of Germany with a new security policy reality," Scholz stated, quoted by the DPA agency.
Germany will order 20 new fighter jets
He emphasized that he strongly supports "preservation and expansion of production capacity." "We will order another 20 Eurofighters in this legislative period, in addition to the 38 aircraft that are already in the pipeline," he announced. In addition, 38 aircraft for the German Air Force are already in preparation.
Olaf Scholz also argued that closer cooperation between European partners is necessary. "We can no longer afford in Europe to have a substantially higher number of competing weapon systems than, for instance, the USA," assessed the German Chancellor.
European coproduction
A consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo produces the Eurofighter Typhoon jet. To coordinate production, the company Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH was established. The main central part of the fuselage is made in Germany, while other elements of the aircraft are manufactured in the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain.
