Paris Air Show 2023: Eurofighter pushes for Halcon II follow-on buy fr…

A mock-up of the Eurofighter Typhoon featuring Halcon II livery displayed at the Paris Air Show 2023. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)

The Eurofighter consortium is pushing Spain to commit to a follow-on buy of Typhoon combat aircraft under the country's Halcon procurement programme, showcasing a mock-up of the aircraft in Halcon II livery at the Paris Air Show 2023.

Having secured the original Halcon order in June 2022, Airbus as the chief contractor for the Eurofighter programme in Spain recently told Janes and other defence media it was “confident” that Spain would order further Halcon II Tranche 4 or Tranche 5 Typhoons.

As a consortium partner country, Spain currently fields 70 Tranche 1 to Tranche 3 Eurofighters, with a further 20 Tranche 4 aircraft to be received under Project Halcon. With the Spanish Air Force (Ejército del Aire Español: EdAE) looking to replace all of its Boeing EF-18 Hornet (C.15) aircraft in the coming years, it has a requirement for as many as 60 new aircraft (assuming a 1:1 replacement) that could be fully or partially satisfied with Halcon II aircraft, depending on the procurement timeline.