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F-16 Shoots Down Greece's $6B Eurofighter Typhoon Order
After scrapping a EUR 4.9 billion deal with EADS for 60 Eurofighter Typhoon fighters, Greece's center-right government announced that it has decided to buy 30 Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 52+ jets from the U.S. instead, with an option for 10 more. The order would cost approximately EUR 1.1 billion (USD $1.32 billion) based on current prices, and is designed to address the nation's air defense needs over the next 15 years. The jets would join 50 F-16 Block 52 aircraft already in service with the Hellenic Air Force under a 2000 contract. The new contract's exact figures will depend on negotiations, and will include industrial offset benefits and support for the rest of the F-16s Block 52s and earlier models belonging to the Hellenic Air Force. The deal is another blow to the Eurofighter's export campaign. The Typhoon was recently bounced from Singapore's future fighter competition in favour of Dassault's Rafale or Boeing's F-15E Strike Eagle. Greece's traditional rival Turkey had also expressed some interest in the Eurofighter earlier this year, before signing a $1.1 billion contract in May to upgrade its own F-16 fleet to a Block 50+ equivalent instead. Nevertheless, the Greek market is not completely closed to EADS. "Our next order for fourth-generation jets will be reviewed by another military council meeting. It does not exclude any company from Europe or the U.S.," said defense ministry spokesman Stefanos Gikas. While no company is excluded, the 3rd generation F-16 fighter aircraft is unlikely to be eligible under those criteria for the next 30+10 plane order in 2009. Even so, Eurofighter manufacturer EADS could still end up competing with cheaper 4th Generation options like the JAS 39 Gripen, the Russian Sukhoi SU-30 family, an offer for Greece to match its rival Turkey as a participating nation in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, or even an F-15E Strike Eagle variant or F/A-18E/F Super Hornet order if those upgraded American jets are declared eligible. The global fighter market to 2015 is expected to be a lively place. Posted by: Steve 2005-07-20 |
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