Like Berlin, Madrid will therefore have resisted the American sirens of the F35A, by announcing the official start of negotiations with Airbus DS for the acquisition of 20 Eurofighter Typhoon fighters to replace the EF-18 Hornets of Squadron 46 based in the Canaries. The new aircraft will reinforce the 70 or so Typhoons already in service with the Spanish Air Force. As with the Luftwaffe, the Spanish Typhoons will be in tranche IV and will offer widely extended operational capabilities, both for air-to-air, air-to-ground or air-surface missions, notably implementing the new AESA Radar jointly developed by Spanish Indra and the German Hensoldt. The new aircraft are expected between 2025 and 2030 by the Spanish Air Force, which will still have to replace 50 EF18s if it wants to keep its current format.
Even if Madrid has not decided on the replacement of its Harrier Matador, which can only be replaced by F35Bs if the Spanish Navy wishes to retain an onboard naval air force, this announcement shows the determination of the SCAF program partners to support their own defense industry, and to preserve, as much as possible, industrial and technological sovereignty in the field of combat aircraft.
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