Germany will buy an additional 20 Eurofighter jets from Airbus, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on Wednesday, as Berlin seeks to strengthen its defences.
Speaking at the International Air Show in Berlin, Scholz stated that the order would be placed before Germany’s next general election in 2025.
The new jets add to another 38 that were already planned in 2020 as part of replacements for Germany’s decades-old Tornado aircraft.
Scholz added that Germany was committed to providing additional export opportunities for the Eurofighter.
“We will ensure continuous utilization of capacity at Airbus’ Eurofighter facility in Manching, Bavaria”, Scholz continued.
Germany has been on a defence spending spree since Scholz declared a 100-billion-euro ($109-billion) special budget to replenish its supplies following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Scholz, who was previously chastised by NATO members, including the United States, for being a laggard in defence spending, has committed to fulfilling the annual objective of two percent of GDP by 2024.
