Will Philippines favour Eurofighter Typhoon for its military upgrade?
The Eurofighter, which is estimated to cost US$117 million each, has drawn buying interest from Bangladesh and other countries
Leonardo, a government-linked company, said it was committed to investing in the Philippines’ defence capabilities for the long term and offered to provide training, technology transfer and related facilities as part of the deal.
The company is promoting the Eurofighter – a multi-role combat aircraft that it has co-developed through a consortium with European plane maker Airbus and British aerospace group BAE Systems – to countries in the Indo-Pacific.
Among them, Bangladesh on Tuesday signed a letter of intent with Leonardo, in a first step towards buying the Eurofighter. The country is targeting to acquire up to 16 such aircraft, according to media reports.
Leonardo is partly owned by the Italian government, which has a 30.2 per cent stake in the company.
The cost of each Eurofighter is reportedly estimated at US$117 million, making it one of the world’s most expensive fighter aircraft.