The Italian Air Force received a special delivery this week with the delivery of the 500th Eurofighter Typhoon produced.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is the largest collaborative industrial programme in Europe, with some 599 aircraft ordered, eight of those for worldwide customers. The RAF took delivery of the very first Eurofighter in 2003, and in the intervening years has demonstrated its high reliability, while continual upgrades and enhancements to the technology have improved its capabilities.
Work is currently underway to integrate the air-to-air missile Meteor, precision guided cruise missile Storm Shadow, and the precision attack missile Brimstone, ensuring the future capabilities of the Eurofighter Typhoon put it at the forefront of aircraft available on the international market today.
In a special ceremony held at Leonardo Aircraft Division’s Turin site, Lt. Gen. Gabriele Salvestroni, Logistic Commander of the Italian Air Force took delivery of the aircraft.
Volker Paltzo, Chief Executive Officer of Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, said: “The 500 strong Eurofighter Typhoon fleet represents one of the largest and most capable fighter fleets in the western hemisphere, and will be the backbone of European airpower for decades to come. Today’s handover is a great testament to the programme’s success, and I firmly expect to see the fleet grow further as our partner companies continue to pursue opportunities for more orders internationally.”
Filippo Bagnato, Leonardo Aircraft Division Managing Director, said: “We are very proud to deliver the 500th Eurofighter Typhoon produced to the Italian Air Force. The Eurofighter Typhoon is the largest collaborative industrial programme in Europe, it is a successful and significant contributor to the nation’s economic wellbeing, employing high-skilled workers and generating thousands of high-value manufacturing and engineering jobs. We are now fully committed to completing deliveries to the Italian Air Force, to develop the capabilities of the aircraft, and to the activities envisaged by Kuwait’s contract, while continuing to pursue a number of significant market opportunities around the world.”
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