Spain invests in additional Eurofighter Typhoon
On 20 December 2024, the Spanish Ministry of Defence (MoD) finalised an agreement to purchase 25 additional Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft.
The new fleet, consisting of 21 single-seat and four twin-seat aircraft, will be delivered to the Ejército del Aire y del Espacio (EAE, Spanish Air and Space Force) between 2030 and 2035. These jets will replace the EF-18AM/BM Hornets currently operated by Ala 12 at Madrid/Torrejón Air Base and Ala 15 at Zaragoza Air Base.
Ordered under the Halcón II programme, the Tranche 4 Typhoons feature significant software enhancements, a redesigned cockpit dominated by a large color touchscreen, and the advanced CAPTOR AESA E-Scan Mk1 radar. Their proposed armament includes the GBU-31v1 JDAM INS/GPS-guided bomb, the German Taurus KEPD 350 long-range cruise missile, the AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM), and the dual-guided Brimstone ground-attack missiles.
This latest order was first announced in June 2023 at the Paris Air Show. It marks Spain's second procurement of new Eurofighter Typhoons, bringing the total number in the fleet to 115. Previously, in June 2022 at the ILA Berlin, Spain ordered 20 Eurofighters under the Halcón I programme to replace the ageing F/A-18+ Hornets of 462 Escuadrón at Gando Air Base, Las Palmas.
Credit photo: Airbus Defence and Space