Spain buys 25 Eurofighter Typhoon fighters worth $1.5bn to replace older F/A-18 Hornet jets

The Spanish Air Force will renew its fleet of fighter jets. Instead of the American F/A-18 Hornet, the Iberian Peninsula country will buy European aircraft Eurofighter Typhoon.

Here's What We Know

On September 12, 2023, the Council of Ministers launched the Halcon II programme, which involves the purchase of 25 additional fourth-generation Eurofighter Typhoon fighters. In the Spanish Air Force, they have the designation C.16.

The European aircraft will be the replacement for the F/A-18 Hornet. Boeing's fighters are known in Spain as EF-18 Hornet (C.15M). The Ministry of Defence plans to retire them from 2030.

A Eurofighter spokesman said it was the start of procurement under the Halcon II programme, not an expansion of the Halcon I project, under which Spain ordered 20 aircraft. The agreement for 25 Typhoon fighters, engines and mission support systems is valued at $1.5bn.

Source: Janes