Italy to spend $29 billion on Typhoons, tanks, and combat vehicles
6:12 AM EDT, July 10, 2024
According to Reuters, the Italian Ministry of Defense plans to spend nearly 8 billion dollars over the next 11 years to purchase 24 Eurofighter Typhoon jets. Rome also intends to order over 200 Panther tanks from Germany and 350 Lynx combat vehicles.
As reported by the Defense Romania portal, which cites Reuters, Italy's plans are currently in the initial stages of the procurement process. The Ministry of Defense has just approached the government for approval to purchase the modern Typhoon jets. The request now needs to be reviewed by the relevant committees. The Ministry expects a decision to be made by August 13 at the latest.
Italy plans major purchases
To enhance Italy's defensive and offensive capabilities, the German portal Handelsblatt reported recently that Rome plans to place its most significant order with the German manufacturer Rheinmetall. This would include over 200 Panther tanks and 350 Lynx infantry fighting vehicles. The estimated cost of this undertaking is about 21 billion dollars, and the implementation is expected to take 15 years.
Regarding the Eurofighter Typhoon jets, the relevant ministry has only just submitted a request for approval to acquire the aircraft to the authorities – this is the first step in the procurement process, which precedes the start of contract negotiations. Reuters explained that more details would be made public soon.
New Typhoons to replace older models
The 24 Typhoon jets are expected to replace older models in Italy's arsenal, which will be phased out starting in 2028. It is unknown which machines will be replaced, but Defense Romania speculates that the older Italian Eurofighters may be the ones.
The Eurofighter Typhoon jets' design history dates back to the 1970s. At that time, Europe needed new aircraft to replace older models that were no longer competitive with Soviet MiG-29s and Su-27s. The British RAF initially announced the requirement to build an aircraft designated as AST-396, which later evolved into today's Typhoon. Its first flight took place in March 1994.
This multirole fighter, built in a canard configuration, is powered by two EuroJet EJ200 turbofan engines, each generating a thrust of about 13,400 lbs (20,100 lbs with afterburner). The Typhoon's wingspan is just under 36 feet, while its length is nearly 52 feet, with a dry weight of 24,251 pounds. These parameters are somewhat similar to those of the American F-16s, but the Typhoon is slightly larger.
The Eurofighter Typhoon can accelerate to Mach 2, or about 1,300 mph, while its cruising speed with a whole load of weapons reaches Mach 1.3 (about 1,000 mph). The aircraft can operate at an altitude of 60,000 feet and has a range of about 2,300 miles. The primary armament of the Typhoon is the Mauser BK-27, a 27 mm caliber gun. Various missiles (including AGM-84, AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-120, Storm Shadow) and precision bombs like Paveway and JDAM can be mounted on towers.
