Rome should order new Eurofighters, says Leonardo executive

BERLIN (Reuters) – Rome is expected to soon announce a deal for new Eurofighter jets for its air force, an executive at state-controlled defense and aerospace group Leonardo said on Thursday.
The move follows Germany’s announcement on Wednesday of the purchase of 20 additional planes, as NATO members increase their defense spending since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“I am convinced that Italy will soon follow with a similar statement,” Leonardo Deputy CEO Lorenzo Mariani told Reuters at the ILA air show south of Berlin.

The executive did not provide further details on the number of devices that will be purchased or the timeline of the transaction.

At the opening of the air show on Wednesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was firmly committed to maintaining and expanding weapons production capacity.

The acquisition of new aircraft for Italy requires the allocation of additional funds to the already approved military budget and will need to receive formal authorization from Parliament.

The Janes Defense news agency reported in May that Rome was seeking to acquire 24 more fighter jets to complement its 94 already in service, as the air force prepares to retire older aircraft from circulation. .

The Eurofighter Typhoon supersonic jets are built by a German, British, Italian and Spanish consortium, represented by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo. (Reporting by Sabine Siebold in Berlin, with contributions from Angelo Amante in Rome, writing by Giulia Segreti; French version Mathias de Rozario, editing by Kate Entringer)