The Spanish Government approved a budget of 4.593 million
euros on September 14 for the expansion of the Falcon program, which includes
the acquisition of another 25 Eurofighters to replace some of the EF-18Ms in
service and received in the period 1986-1990 and meet the needs of the first
phase, in which 20 aircraft were already purchased to replace the ageing ex US
Navy F-18s that equip the F-18 for the Canary Islands.
Spain already has 69 Eurofighter fighters. The acquired
version will be the most modern, far from the early ones that left the Airbus
factories. This Tranche 4 includes updates in software and radar, specifically
the AESA ESCAN MK1, in which the Spanish company Indra works in consortium with
the German Hensoldt. The new ESCAN Mk1 electronically scanned array radar will
provide the ability to track multiple targets at close range while
simultaneously scanning airspace hundreds of kilometers away.
The new Eurofighters will incorporate the Brimstone
air-to-surface missile, the Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile, the AGM-88E AARGM
anti-radar missile, the Iris-T air-to-air missile, and the AARGM air-to-surface
missile, as well as the JDAM guided bomb.
The version ordered by Spain is very similar to the 38
Eurofighters ordered by Germany for the Luftwaffe under the Quadriga program.
The 20 Eurofighters whose purchase Spain announced to
replace the F-18s of the 46th Wing in the Canary Islands, and the 25 new ones
announced within the Falcon 2 Program, will incorporate many of the
improvements from the Quadriga project, including the ability to be armed with
Meteor air-to-air missiles with a range of up to 150 kilometers.
The Spanish Air Force currently has a fleet of 69
Eurofighter fighters (17 Tranche 1, 32 Tranche 2, and 20 Tranche 3),
distributed between Los Llanos AB, Albacete (Wing 14), and Morón de la Frontera
AB, Seville (Wing 11). It is planned that the entire fleet will be capable of
using the Meteor missile.
The first aircraft of the Falcon 1 program will leave the
Airbus assembly plant in Getafe in 2026, with the following delivery dates: 3
aircraft in 2026, 5 in 2027, 6 in 2028, 4 in 2029, and 2 in 2030. With the
addition of the 25 new Eurofighters, Spain will have a total of 114 units of
this model.
According to unofficial sources, with this deal, Spain is clearing the way to acquire the F-35 to replace the remaining EF-18M, which already has official budget allocated
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