Italy to expand Eurofighter fleet, NATO boosts defense amid Ukraine crisis

Rome is set to announce a deal shortly for additional Eurofighter combat jets for its air force, a senior executive at state-controlled defense and aerospace group Leonardo (LDOF.MI), said Thursday.

The move follows Germany’s announcement on Wednesday that it will buy 20 additional aircraft, at a time when members of NATO are increasing defense spending in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“I am confident that Italy will soon follow with a similar declaration,” Leonardo Co-General Manager Lorenzo Mariani told Reuters at the ILA airshow just outside Berlin.
He did not give further details on the number of jets that will be bought or on the timing of the deal.

Speaking at the opening of the ILA airshow on Wednesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was strongly committed to maintaining and expanding arms production capacity.

Italy’s deal for more jets will require the allocation of new funds besides the country’s approved military budget and will need formal authorization from parliament. Janes defense news agency reported in May that Rome is looking for 24 more jets to add to the 94 it has in service, as the air force prepares to retire older aircraft.

The twin-engine, supersonic Eurofighter Typhoon jets are built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by Airbus (AIR.PA), BAE Systems (BAES.L), and LDOF.MI.

Eurofighter aircraft continue to attract interest in Europe and its surrounding regions. According to Reuters last Wednesday, Germany stated it would acquire an additional 20 Eurofighter Typhoons.

Türkiye is also known to be interested in Eurofighter Typhoons. Minister of National Defense Yasar Guler announced in May that Türkiye initially plans to purchase 20 Eurofighters and later acquire 20 more.

Minister Guler stated that Türkiye’s purchase of Eurofighters is viewed positively by the U.K. and Spain.