Is The Eurofighter Upstaging The F-16 As The World’s Most Popular Fighter?

Oman has become the latest addition in the Middle East to express its interest in acquiring the Eurofighter Typhoon. The Government of Oman has requested BAE Systems to submit a formal bid for the supply of the fighter aircraft. Delivery of the first aircrafts is expected to take place in 36 months, according to a BAE Systems spokesperson. This statement comes after Saudi Arabia, the Middle East’s first Typhoon customer, announced last month that they had made amendments to ‘Project Salaam’ and, are now expecting 72 fighter jets and not 24 as originally requested. The United Arab Emirates also made a shocking move in November, 2011 during the Dubai Air Show when it expressed its interest in the Eurofighter. This shift came after France’s long running campaign to sell up to 60 Dassault Rafales to the UAE reportedly stalled over price negotiations. The Eurofighter is steadily becoming the most coveted fighter aircraft among governments. Earlier this week, the Eurofighter was chosen as the fighter aircraft to keep the skies clear during the upcoming World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. A clear indication that the strike fighter is growing in strength, as well as numbers, including recent order book now totals 707 Eurofighter aircrafts. The four partner nations of the Eurofighter program have ordered 620 aircrafts: 180 for Germany, 121 for Italy, 87 for Spain and 232 for the UK. Austria placed an order of 15 aircrafts; the first two were delivered in July 2007. In addition, Eurofighter has come tantalizingly close to winning a large contract for 126 plus options for 72 fighters in India. It has been shortlisted along with Dassault’s Rafale in a final face-off, the results of which are expected within the next 1-2 months.