Italy has ordered new Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to upgrade its Air Force fleet.

The heads of the Eurofighter consortium and NETMA (NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency) signed the contract to supply up to 24 combat aircraft in Rome on December 23.

This was reported by Leonardo, which, under this contract, will be responsible for the final assembly of the aircraft and its transfer to the Italian Air Force, as well as for logistics support.

Components for the fighter jets will be produced by individual companies across Europe.

The new Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft in the Tranche 4 configuration will replace the first series of Italian aircraft in the Tranche 1 version, which are currently in service and which Italy plans to replace starting in 2028.

The fighters will be equipped with advanced avionics and improved weapons systems, including the ability to use Brimstone 3 air-to-ground missiles and Meteor air-to-air missiles.

In November of this year, the Italian Ministry of Defense submitted a request to purchase additional fighter jets.

At that time, Reuters reported that Italy plans to spend a total of EUR 7.47 billion over the next 11 years on purchasing and logistics support for 24 new Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets.

They are to upgrade two squadrons that use aircraft constructed in 2002-2008.

The Italian Air Force has 94 Typhoon fighters in service, 80 of which are single-seaters, and another 14 are combat trainers.

Order from Italy

In early November 2024, the Spanish Ministry of Defense also signed an agreement to purchase an additional 25 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets. This was part of Spain’s Halcon II modernization program, which aims to replace U.S. aircraft by ordering the latest version of the fighter jet.

The new Tranche 4 aircraft will replace the US EF-18M (C.15 in the Spanish classification) in the Spanish Air Force.