Article Posted on : - Apr 03, 2012

BAVARIA, GERMANY (BNS): European defence firm Eurofighter GmbH has signed a contract with NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) to support the fleet of Typhoon fighter jets being used by four Eurofighter core nations -- Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

The five year support contract, signed on March 30, is part of a new contract suite agreed with the nations which includes integrated mechanisms for continuing development work on the aircraft and will replace a number of legacy contracts whilst extending the terms for a longer period, according to Eurofighter.

It will focus on performance and affordability and will ensure a range of support services to the Typhoon users. The contract will also help to sustain European aerospace engineering, capability and jobs, the company said.

Under the deal, Eurofighter's partner companies -- AleniaAermacchi of Italy, BAE Systems of the UK and Cassidian in Germany and Spain will work closely with the local Ministry of Defences and Air Forces to improve the way Eurofighter delivers a range of support services.

This work will provide a strong basis for future support requirements including potential export opportunities, the company said.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is Europe's largest military collaborative programme and a total of 321 Typhoon multi-role jets are presently operational in six countries.

While BAE Systems said that it has received £446m (535 million euros) under the contract, AleniaAermacchi's share is worth over 500 million euros. The entire contract amount is worth about 2 billion euros ($2.7 billion).