Kuwait Orders the Typhoon from Italy

By Bilal Khan

12 September 2015

The Kuwait Air Force recently ordered 28 Eurofighter Typhoons in a deal set with the Italian government, one of the Eurofighter consortium members involved in the Typhoon’s development. The multi-billion Euro deal includes 22 single and 6 dual-seat fighters as well as (likely) the necessary support systems and armaments. The purchase makes Kuwait the third operator in the Arabian Peninsula, after Saudi Arabia and Oman, to acquire the Typhoon. The Kuwait Air Force currently operates 34 McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18C/D Hornets.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a joint program between Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain. France was one of the original consortium members, but it withdrew, opting to instead develop its own fighter, the Dassault Rafale, to meet its future operational needs. Thus far, at least 438 Typhoons have been built, with almost 140 still in the pipeline for the program’s numerous operators.