The Italian government has moved to guarantee its funding for the Eurofighter Typhoon for the next five years as part of a new draft budget request for 2008, but has stopped short of committing itself to the programme's Tranche 3 production phase amid cost concerns.
To be partly funded by Italy's Ministry for Economic Development, the €5.4 billion ($7.7 billion) sum will come via increasing instalments worth €318 million next year, €468 million in 2009, €918 million in 2010, and €1.1 billion each in 2011 and 2012. The budget will shortly be presented to the Italian parliament for approval.
Undersecretary for defence Lorenzo Forcieri says the requested funds will cover Italy's current programme involvement, but will not finance its planned Tranche 3 production of 46 aircraft. The Italian defence ministry says the costs of providing logistics support and upgrading its Tranche 1 Eurofighters to the Tranche 2 standard are eroding the amount previously allocated for its next production order, and that only a substantial price reduction will enable it to buy all of its remaining aircraft.
The first four Eurofighters to be assigned to Italy's second base for the type arrived at Gioia del Colle on 1 October, expanding operations beyond Grosseto air base. The aircraft will be flown by the 36th Wing's 12th Group, which now has a small number of limited combat ready pilots and is due to become fully operational by mid-2009. Italy has now received 24 of the 75 Eurofighters ordered under its first two production tranches.
Source: Flight International
