Spain greenlights the implementation of the «Halcón II» program following the signing of a contract with the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA), based in Munich (Germany), for the acquisition of 25 Eurofighter jets. The order will cover the delivery of 21 single-seat and four two-seat next-generation Eurofighter aircraft to replace part of the F-18 fleet operated by the Spanish Air and Space Force.
The agreement, which follows a previous contract signed in 2022 for a batch of 20 jets, will bring Spain’s Eurofighter fleet to 115 aircraft. With the first delivery scheduled for 2030, these new aircraft will: enhance Spain’s air power capabilities and operations; strengthen its prominent position at the heart of NATO; and secure the industrial footprint of the program.
“The Eurofighter is the most advanced and the most successful fighter jet from European production and is the backbone of European air superiority. It is also a symbol of industrial cooperation between nations and companies – an example of how Europe can work in our current defence context. We are grateful for the trust of the Spanish government in our Eurofighter and in Airbus Defence and Space. Not only is this order an important demand and defence signal, it secures the supply chain in Spain and across Europe,” said Mike Schoellhorn, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space.
The Spanish Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, stated that “we are not going to spare any effort to ensure that our armies have the best capabilities”, stressing that “investing in defense is investing in security, employment and international protection”. She also underlined that “the Spanish Government’s commitment to investment in Defense is unequivocal”, pointing out that the acquisition of 25 new Eurofighters constitutes “a reinforcement of the Spanish Air and Space Force’s capabilities, at a very complicated time in which modernization is essential”.
The event held today was also attended by Air Force and Space Chief of Staff, Air Force General Francisco Braco; Airbus Spain President Francisco Javier Sánchez Segura; and the CEOs of Eurofighter, Giancarlo Mezzanatto, and Eurojet, Ralf Breiling.
The saga of the Falcon program
Designed to replace the country’s F-18 fleet, the Halcon programme means a significant upgrade of Spain’s airpower capabilities: a total of 45 (20+25) Eurofighter jets ordered since 2022, equipped with advanced avionics, electronically-scanning radar (E-Scan), enhanced weapon systems capable of operating Brimstone III and Full Meteor, new sensors and improved connectivity. They will join the current Spanish Air Force’s 70 aircraft fleet from 2026 onwards.
In service in Spain since 2003, the Air and Space Force operates the Eurofighter from the Morón de la Frontera airbase (Wing 11), near Seville, and Los Llanos airbase (Wing 14), in Albacete. The Canary Islands base of Gando (Wing 46) will soon become the next operational base with the arrival of the new Eurofighter jets ordered under the Halcón I program.
According to the Spanish Ministry of Defense, all Spanish Eurofighters are assembled, tested and delivered at the Airbus facilities in Getafe, Madrid, a process that results in the creation of more than 16,000 direct and indirect jobs.
To date, eight countries have ordered more than 700 Eurofighter combat aircrafts, creating more than 100,000 jobs in Europe.
