Latest news with #Eurofighters
Russia Today
06-08-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
EU nation shelves purchase of US F-35 fighter jets
Spain has shelved plans to buy US-made F-35 stealth jets. The move is tied to EU defense spending rules and concerns over reliance on American weapons, El Pais has reported, citing government sources. Preliminary talks had already begun over the fifth-generation fighter – built by aerospace giant Lockheed Martin – and Spain's 2023 defense budget earmarked over €6 billion ($7 billion) to replace its aging Harrier and F-18 jets. Although Madrid has committed to raising military spending to 2% of GDP, a new €10.5 billion defense plan allocates 85% of the funds to EU industry. The condition effectively blocked a US deal, according to the report on Wednesday. The move aligns with the EU's growing militarization push and aims to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers. An order of around 50 jets had reportedly been under discussion but is now on hold. The decision leaves the Spanish Navy without a fixed-wing successor for its AV-8B fleet, which is due to retire by 2030. Spain's Air Force had also reportedly considered the F-35A as a stopgap until the EU's sixth-generation FCAS fighter becomes operational – not expected before 2040. While Madrid has acquired Eurofighters to replace older F-18s, military leaders warn against relying on a single aircraft type. Despite the high cost, the F-35 was viewed as the most advanced option. 'We'll have to survive with fourth-generation fighters and hope FCAS arrives,' Spain's Admiral Teodoro Lopez Calderon said in July. The shift comes amid friction with Washington over defense spending. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez clashed with US President Donald Trump at June's NATO summit after rejecting a 5% military spending target. Trump responded with tariff threats. Washington has also urged allies to buy American weapons. While Lockheed Martin said Spain's F-35s would be built in Italy and qualify as 'European', concerns remain over US control of the aircraft's systems and rising maintenance costs. Critics argue that the deal could deepen dependence on Washington. Spain's decision follows similar doubts in Germany and a review in Canada, as several NATO members reassess orders over cost, control, and political pressure.
Straits Times
24-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Turkey nears Eurofighter jet purchase after agreement from UK, Germany
Find out what's new on ST website and app. British Defence Secretary John Healey (left) and Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler at a signing ceremony for the jets, in Istanbul on July 23. ISTANBUL - Turkey reached deals with Nato allies Britain and Germany on July 23 that pave the way to acquiring dozens of Eurofighter Typhoon jets, which Ankara has sought to bolster defences in an increasingly volatile region. Britain signed a preliminary deal allowing Ankara to operate the jets while Germany approved delivery of 40 of them to Turkey, which has relied on both foreign purchases and its own defence industry projects, including domestic jets, to ramp up deterrence. Beyond the Eurofighters, Ankara is also in talks with Washington to purchase 40 F-16s. Israel's attacks on regional countries, including its 12-day conflict with Turkey's neighbour Iran and more recent strikes on another neighbour, Syria, have unnerved Ankara, prompting a push for rapid armament in order to counter any potential threats. Turkey has been in talks since 2023 to purchase 40 Eurofighter Typhoons, which are built by a consortium of Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain, represented by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo. Speaking at a signing ceremony with British Defence Secretary John Healey in Istanbul, Defence Minister Yasar Guler said the deal brought Turkey 'one step closer to a fully comprehensive agreement' on the jets, adding it would also strengthen Nato and Turkey's aerial capabilities. 'We welcome this positive step toward our country joining the Eurofighter Typhoon club, and want to reiterate our mutual ambition to complete the necessary arrangements as soon as possible,' he said. Mr Guler also told reporters that the composition of the planned acquisition was for 40 jets but that different options were being considered. New lease of life for BAE UK factory Separately, the German government - initially opposed to the sale - has cleared the way for the delivery, a government spokesperson said. Spiegel news magazine reported earlier on July 23 that the government's Federal Security Council, which decides on arms export licences based on legal and foreign policy considerations, had made a positive decision on the order for 40 jets. 'I can only confirm that the Ministry of Defence has sent a written confirmation to the Turkish government confirming that the export has been approved,' a government spokesperson said, when asked about the report at a regular press conference in Berlin. The agreements come after weeks of positive statements from Ankara and the Eurofighter consortium on the sale, with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan praising the German and British stance on the issue this week. Britain said negotiations with Turkey over an ultimate sale will continue over the coming weeks. The deal would be the first export order secured by Britain for the jet since 2017 and would give a new lease of life to the final assembly line at BAE's factory in northern England. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the multi-billion dollar agreement with Turkey would 'sustain and protect 20,000 UK jobs for future years to come', while an official at BAE Systems said last week the company was confident of winning new orders from countries, including Turkey. REUTERS
The Irish Sun
28-06-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
NATO jets scrambled to intercept Russian spyplane as Kremlin threatens ‘direct' response to military buildup on border
GERMAN fighter jets were dramatically scrambled to intercept a Russian spy plane over the Baltic Sea. It came just hours before the Kremlin warned of a 'direct' response to NATO's growing presence on its doorstep. 8 German fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Russian Il-20 spy plane over the Baltic Sea (stock picture) Credit: AP:Associated Press 8 It came after Putin's Kremlin threatened a 'direct' response to military buildup on border Credit: Getty 8 Two Eurofighters (stock picture) roared into action after NATO radar spotted the Russian spy plane Credit: PA 8 Two Eurofighters roared into action on Friday after NATO radar spotted a Russian Il-20 with its transponder switched off. The plane had taken off from Kaliningrad and was heading west toward Poland and Germany, according to Bild and Germany's quick reaction team made visual contact about 100km off the coast. They snapped a photo before the lumbering Russian aircraft turned north, skirting just 40km from the Baltic island of Usedom but staying out of German airspace. Read more world news It's the ninth time this year German jets have been scrambled to shadow Moscow's snoopers. NATO says the Kremlin is using these flights to test alliance defences and gather intel on troop positions as the Ukraine war drags on. The airborne drama came as Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov slammed Estonia's willingness to host NATO aircraft armed with nuclear weapons, branding it a 'direct' danger to Moscow. 'Directly, of course,' he said, when asked if such a move posed a threat, Russian news agency Most read in The US Sun Peskov sneered that Baltic leaders often make 'absurd' statements, and added icy relations could scarcely get any worse: 'It is very difficult to do anything worse.' Humiliation for Putin as £37m jets destroyed in strike before vengeful tyrant kills two in blitz on Ukraine tower block Tallinn's Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur had earlier revealed Estonia is ready to welcome NATO jets capable of carrying tactical nuclear bombs — pointing to recent visits by US F-35s that could soon be guarding the tiny nation's skies again. It comes amid mounting alarm that Vladimir Putin is readying Russia for a showdown with NATO itself. Bruno Kahl, head of Germany's foreign intelligence service, NATO chief Mark Rutte piled on the pressure, saying the alliance must brace for the possibility of a Russian attack by 2030. Putin's forces have already begun amassing hardware and troops close to Finland, just 35 miles from the border, according to satellite snaps showing activity at four Russian bases — Kamenka, Petrozavodsk, Severomorsk-2 and Olenya. Defence experts fear Moscow may attempt to provoke NATO into a limited clash, testing the alliance's Article 5 pledge of mutual defence without triggering full-scale war. Meanwhile on the battlefield, Putin's summer push in Ukraine is grinding on at a snail's pace, with Kyiv's fierce drone attacks bogging down Russian advances. After 448 days of fighting in Chasiv Yar in Donetsk, Moscow's troops reportedly control just half the city — clawing back land at a rate so slow that even snails would outpace them. But with an estimated 125,000 Russian soldiers massing along Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkiv borders, Kyiv is bracing for what could be Putin's last big gamble to seize ground before negotiating a ceasefire. Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said his forces had managed to pin down a 50,000-strong Russian assault near Sumy, stabilising the lines for now. 8 Bruno Kahl, head of Berlin's Federal Intelligence Service, said his team have intel suggesting Russia is plotting to test the resolve of Nato in the coming years Credit: Alamy 8 A Russian drone strike on Kyiv overnight left dozens of residential buildings crumbling Credit: AP 8 Ukraine is often left battling Putin's continued drone attacks Credit: Getty Back in Germany, Chancellor Friedrich Merz poured more cold water on any thaw with Moscow, telling Süddeutsche Zeitung he won't pick up the phone to Putin given Russia's relentless bombing of Ukraine. His predecessor Olaf Scholz had broken ranks last year by speaking with the Kremlin tyrant — but Merz insisted the time for friendly calls is over. As Putin's bombers continue to pound Kyiv and Odesa with hundreds of drones and missiles every night, NATO eyes remain fixed on the Baltic and beyond — wary that Moscow's next gambit could spark the very clash the world fears most. It comes after Ukraine landed another humiliating blow on Vlad's war machine — Kyiv's forces targeted the Marinovka military airfield in the Volgograd region, flying drones 200 miles to smash four of the £37million jets. Two were destroyed outright, while the other pair were damaged, sending pro-war Russian Telegram channels into meltdown over the 'multi-billion dollar' losses. Furious Kremlin cheerleaders raged the attack 'could and should have been prevented.' Ukraine's SBU boasted the strike sparked a fire in critical infrastructure used to prep and repair Russian warplanes. Putin lashed out in brutal revenge. Overnight, Russia flattened a 21-storey tower block in Odesa, killing a married couple and wounding at least 14 others — including three children. 8
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
German fighter jets practise 'deep strike' in northern Sweden
German fighter jets were involved in a cross-NATO training exercise on Wednesday, with four Eurofighter planes taking off from a German airbase to drop off high-precision glide bombs in Sweden. The figher jets were en route from the the Nörvenich in western Germany to northern Sweden, where they were due to drop off the precision-guided GBU-48 bombs on a military site near the village of Vidsel, according to a spokesman. "They are practising a so-called 'deep strike' - a mission in which a distant target area is precisely engaged and the home base is reached again on the same day," the air force explained. "The flight distance is several thousand kilometres and four aerial refuellings per jet are planned," it said, adding that these capabilities are militarily necessary in order to be able to fly missions over long distances in the event of an attack on NATO territory. Sweden became the latest member to join the western defence alliance last year. Germany has been a member since 1955. The German Eurofighters are part of the Tactical Air Force Wing 31 "Boelcke," designed to provide close air support for troops fighting on the ground.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
Midair photos show fighter jets scrambled to escort an American Airlines plane after a bomb threat
A mid-flight bomb hoax led Italy's air force to scramble jets to escort an American Airlines plane. The Boeing 787 was flying from New York to Delhi when the threat occurred. Italy's Aeronautica Militare released a series of photos of the incident unfolding. American Airlines passengers had a whirlwind journey after a bomb threat saw their flight turn around, and fighter jets scrambled to escort the plane. The airline said the "possible security concern" was later found to be "non-credible." Saturday evening's Flight 292 from New York to India's capital, New Delhi, U-turned over the Caspian Sea — more than 10 hours after taking off, according to data from Flightradar24. It then spent around four hours going back toward Italy, where the country's air force scrambled two Eurofighter jets. In a press release, the Aeronautica Militare said it escorted the Boeing 787 to Rome Fiumicino Airport after a "bomb alert." It also shared images of the Eurofighters following the airliner, as well as a video. #Scramble: nel pomeriggio due #Eurofighter dell'#AeronauticaMilitare sono decollati su allarme per identificare e scortare un aereo di linea diretto a Delhi che aveva invertito rotta verso l'aeroporto di Fiumicino (RM) per una segnalazione di un presunto ordigno esplosivo a bordo — Aeronautica Militare (@ItalianAirForce) February 23, 2025 American Airlines said the flight landed safely in Rome, and "law enforcement inspected and cleared the aircraft to re-depart." "Safety and security are our top priorities and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience," it added. The Boeing 787 landed in Rome around 4 p.m. local time on Sunday. The same plane is scheduled to fly from Rome to New Delhi at 6 a.m. ET on Tuesday, per Flightradar24. A senior official briefed on the matter told ABC News a bomb threat was received by email. Protocol at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport required an inspection before the plane could land there, American Airlines said. The incident is the latest in a string of bomb threats on planes flying to or in India in recent months. India's deputy civil aviation minister, Murlidhar Mohol, said that as of mid-November, there had been 999 hoax bomb threats in the country in 2024. More than 500 of those were received across two weeks, and 12 people were arrested. Last October, Singapore's Air Force scrambled two F-15s to escort an Air India Express flight, which landed safely. The same month, an Air India flight from New Delhi to Chicago made an emergency landing in Canada's Nunavut territory after another bomb threat. Were you a passenger on this flight? Get in touch with this reporter at Read the original article on Business Insider
