Germany has increased pressure on the UK to give the green light for Eurofighter Tranche 3, saying any further delays would be a “critical situation” for the programme.
The NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) board will be meeting during Farnborough week, hoping to nudge the British towards a decision on the final Typhoon production tranche.
The decision is already overdue, and Ruediger Wolf, state secretary in the German Federal Ministry of Defence, said: “My perception is that the procurement programme might develop into a critical situation if the nations fail to define a common programme.”
Though Germany was blamed for procrastination that delayed the development programme and caused massive cost growth, the Germans are now fully committed to their Typhoon order, and it is the UK that has ‘dragged its feet’. Britain was late signing the Tranche 2 production contract, and while the other partner nations are now positioning themselves for Tranche 3, the UK seems unready to sign.
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At ILA in Berlin, Ays Rauen, CEO of Eurofighter, told Flight Daily News that he had hoped to complete negotiations on pricing before the summer break, though he confirmed that Britain and Italy had requested ‘options’, outlining the repercussions of ordering fewer aircraft in Tranche 3. He confirmed that these included a ‘zero’ option, and a 50% buy by these two nations
Rauen refused to talk about possible penalties, but Chief Operating Officer Brian Phillipson pointed out that the umbrella contract (for 620 aircraft across three tranches) was a contract, and that any reductions would require compensation.
On the eve of Farnborough Rauen said: “The negotiations are well under way. Eurofighter and NETMA are negotiating under the terms of the Umbrella contract and all parties are aware that they need to be concluded with a signed agreement by late 2008 or early 2009.”
It was revealed on Friday that, in an attempt to break the deadlock, the German Defence Ministry had suggested splitting Tranche 3 into two phases. Ruediger Wolf outlined the plan in a letter to his British, Italian and Spanish counterparts, and to NETMA, on 7 July.
Source: Flight Daily News