Eurofighter Front-runner in German Bid to Replace Tornado Fighters

The German Defense Ministry has said that Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role fighters as a front runner in its bid to replace aging Tonado jets.

In a letter to a Greens lawmaker, the Lockheed Martin F-35 and Boeing F-15 and F-18 were secondary options, the ministry statement was quoted by Reuters in its report on Tuesday.

“The indicated view of the inspector of the air force that the F-35 Lightning II is an especially suitable successor to the Tornado system is not the position of the federal government,” Deputy Defence Minister Ralf Brauksiepe wrote in the letter.

The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) however appeared to be tilting towards buying the F-35.

The Luftwaffe wants to replace its fleet of 85 Panavia Tornados procured in the 1980s, with ‘fifth-generation aircraft to meet the full spectrum of our needs,” Lt. Gen. Karl Muellner of the Luftwaffe was quoted as saying to Reuters in November this year.

In September, the German MoD issued requests for information (RFIs) on the F-35 (Lockheed Martin), F-15, F/A-18 (Boeing) and the Typhoon (Eurofighter consortium) seeking information about a new fighter to enter service in 2025.

Earlier in May the German MoD had sent a a letter to the US government requesting classified information on the F-35 program to help Berlin conduct an “an in-depth evaluation.”

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a joint project between British defense group BAE, France’s Airbus and Italy’s Finmeccanica.

The ministry’s preference for the Typhoon is no surprise; France and Germany said earlier this year they would work together to develop a new European fighter, as they expand cooperation on defense and security.