There is another candidate on the table to replace the F-16 fighters in Portugal. The European consortium that produces the Eurofightermade up of European companies Airbus Defense and Space, BAE Systems and Leonardo, wants this combat aircraft to be the choice of the Portuguese Government when renewing the Air Force fleet.
In this regard, Airbus Defense and Space and the Portuguese Cluster for Aeronautics, Space and Defense Industries (AED Cluster Portugal) signed this Monday, 27th, a memorandum of understanding at the facilities of the European aircraft manufacturer, in Lisbon. In June, AED had already signed a similar memorandum with Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the F-35 fighter, precisely to explore future opportunities for industrial cooperation, with the aim of identifying Portuguese companies that could join the F-35 stealth fighter program.
“Thanks to recent changes in the political context and strategic orientations in Portugal, we now see a great opportunity for a European collaboration program such as Eurofighter. With the support of European Union funding mechanisms, we want to position the Eurofighter as the ideal candidate to replace F-16s in Portugal“, assumed the sales director of Eurofigurer.
At the document signing ceremony, Ivan Gonzalez reinforced that this is “a logical and very attractive step” that will create value for Portugal. “At the end, It will reinforce European strategic autonomy, allowing us to be more self-sufficient and independent in defense matters. This is very important not only for Portugal’s national sovereignty, but also for European sovereignty in general”, he pointed out.
Eurofighter is a European combat aircraft cooperation program developed by Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, already providing more than 100,000 jobs across Europe. So farmore than 740 Eurofighter aircraft have already been ordered by nine countries: Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Austria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar.
The agreement now signed aims to lay the foundations for initiating a set of research with the aim of developing an industrial proposal to replace the current Portuguese F-16 fleet, which is at the end of its life, with a European solution.
For Ivan Gonzalez there are three factors that make the proposal competitive for the country. “Portugal would operate on the same NATO standard used in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain, as well as other countries. Secondly, this signature is a commitment by Airbus to continue supporting the development of Portuguese industry, which is already doing so and is not starting from scratch, and on the political side there is today a clear intention in Europe to reinforce its own capabilities, and the Eurofighter is a reflection of this joint effort at European level”, enumerated.
Airbus admits that it has already knocked on the Government’s door to discuss the project. “We have already started conversations with the Portuguese Ministry of Defense as well as meetings with the Air Force to understand requirements. We know that leaving a historical relationship with the F-16 is not easy, but we are working to show how we can meet operational needs. This process will be long, two to three years and will need to have an allocated budget. We want to ensure that all parts, military, political and industrial, align with a competitive proposal”, he stressed.
Asked about the competition, particularly from the Swedish SAAB (with the Gripen E fighter) and the American Lockheed Martin (F-35), the person in charge admitted that they are “strong”, but the Eurofighter partnership represents “something bigger”. “The operation is structured with four European NATO powers rather than relying on a single country. Industrially, a partnership with Airbus opens up broader opportunities that others cannot match“, he justified.
The president of AED Cluster Portugal defended that the joint memorandum with the aircraft manufacturer represents “a way of thinking ahead” ensuring that there is still “much more to do in aeronautics, defense and space”.
“This means more business for Portugal and potentially more growth. Airbus is not just a member of the cluster, it has been a sponsor and has supported AED since 2019. And this agreement is a recognition of that involvement and I hope that in the end we will be successful not only in this, but in other opportunities, such as helicopters and others that are in the pipeline”, highlighted José Neves.
Airbus currently has partnerships signed with more than 30 Portuguese companies and is responsible for creating 1,600 highly qualified jobs in the country, generating around 70 million euros per year in orders from the supply chain.
In addition to the centers in Lisbon and Coimbra, the French multinational also has an industrial unit in Santo Tirso, Airbus Atlantic. The Airbus representative for Portugal said that the priority at the Santo Tirso factory is civil production, namely with the production of fuselage sections for the Airbus A320 and A350 families, but admitted that there is physical space for future expansion. “The logic is to replicate, in the defense area, the same path of trust and growth built in the commercial sector“, assumed Nathalie Hellard Lambic.