Germany Greenlights Eurofighter Jet Deliveries to Saudi Arabia

Germany will not object to the supply of Eurofighter jets to Saudi Arabia.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced this.

“We do not see the German government opposing British considerations for more Eurofighters for Saudi Arabia. The world, especially here in the Middle East, has become a completely different place since Oct. 7,” Baerbock said.

The Eurofighter project is a joint British, German, Italian and Spanish effort.

Germany halted arms sales to Saudi Arabia following the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

Khashoggi was “brutally tortured, killed, and his body dismembered” inside the consulate.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz had pushed back against pressure to unblock delivery of Eurofighters to Saudi Arabia.

His coalition partner, the Greens, had firmly opposed the move, pointing to human rights concerns and Saudi Arabia’s role in the Yemen war.

Baerbock, a Green politician, now pointed out that Saudi Arabia and Israel “have not abandoned their policy of normalization” since the start of the war.

“The fact that Saudi Arabia is now intercepting missiles fired by the Houthis at Israel underscores this, and we are grateful for that. It is no secret that the Saudi air force is also using Eurofighter jets in this context,” she added.

In 2018, Saudi Arabia signed a contract with the British BAE Systems for the supply of 48 Eurofighter jets, but the delivery was suspended due to the war in Yemen.

The country is seeking to acquire 48 additional Typhoon fighters in the Trance 4 configuration to improve the capabilities of its fleet and increase the fleet of fighters of this type currently operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force.