Germany Pressures Britain over Eurofighter: Report

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German Defense Minister Peter Struck has written to his British counterpart Geoff Hoon to urge him to commit to the production of a second batch of Eurofighter aircraft, a report said Sept. 30.

Struck warned that any further delays will have a negative effect on the future of the entire Eurofighter program, especially in Germany where 1.12 billion euros ($1.39 billion) have been earmarked for the project in this year’s budget but not in the 2005 budget, according to the Handelsblatt daily.

Germany is pushing for Britain to give its approval by Oct. 15, the report added.

A spokesman for the German defense ministry confirmed to Agence France-Presse that a letter had been sent, but refused to discuss its contents. Britain, Germany, Italy, and Spain have ordered a total of 620 Eurofighter aircraft in three tranches from a consortium made up of European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co (EADS), BAE Systems and the Italian group Alenia.

But Britain is the only one of the four not to have signed the approval for the next wave because it wants production slowed down and plans for jets with precision weapons to be brought forward, according to recent reports.

The 19-year-old Eurofighter project, which is in competition with the U.S.-made Joint Strike Fighter, has been beset by delays from the start.




http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=380965&C=airwar
 
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