Egypt is going to make the biggest acquisition of Defence equipments and weapons technology since the end of World War II by making a deal with Italy . The list includes 24 Eurofighter fighter jets , 20 M-346 training aircraft , four multi-role Fremm frigates , 20 patrol boats , and a surveillance satellite.
The order may be linked to Egypt’s recent decision to abandon the purchase of 24-28 Sukhoi Su-35s in the face of the probable US sanctions which would be likely to be applied under CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) legislation.
Leading the deal with Egypt will be the Italian company Leonardo , which will receive nearly 60% of the deal for the supply of 24 Eurofighter fighter jets, 20 M-346 training aircraft .
M-346 advanced jet trainer.
Leonardo’s attendance at the Air Power Symposium in Cairo at the end of last year was one step closer to winning a contract to supply its M-346 advanced jet trainer to the Egyptian Air Force.
The M-346 is a jet aircraft optimised for advanced military pilot training, offering a broad range of training capabilities combined with long-term reliability . At the heart of a complex and integrated training system , the M-346 is already in service with the air forces of Italy, Singapore, Israel and Poland.
The M-346 – a twin-engine, tandem-seat aircraft with fully digital flight controls and avionics – is equipped with a fly-by-wire flight control system with quadruple redundancy, a modern human-machine interface with Head-Up Displays (HUD) and Multi-Function Displays (MFD), Hands On Throttle And Stick (HOTAS) controls and in-flight safety features such as the Pilot Activated Attitude Recovery System (PARS).
The wide flight envelope, high thrust-to-weight ratio and ‘carefree’ manoeuvrability at high angles of attack make the M-346’s handling similar to that of next-generation combat aircraft, like the Eurofighter Typhoon or the F-35.
Expected to be a deal of between $ 10 billion and $ 12 billion , it is understood that atleast $ 3 billion will be spent on the acquisition of the 24 Eurofighter Typhoons. The European Fighter is the largest joint weapons system program in Europe.
An excess of 400 companies are involved in the production of these Jets , which employs nearly 100,000 people . Leading the deal with Egypt will be the Italian company Leonardo, that works with a consortium of aerospace and defence companies from the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
500th Eurofighter delivered to Italian Air Force.
Introduced in 2003 , Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter, but its first flight was registered in March 1994 . Over 570 units have been produced , and is in service in nine countries around the world.
Eurofighter Typhoons can be operated by one or two pilots. Its maximum speed is Mach 2.0 with ceiling height above 55,000ft , produced by 90kN thrust of each of the two EUROJET EJ200 turbofan engines.
The aircraft is armed with a 27 mm Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon with 150 rounds, anti-ship missiles, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles , bombs as basic armament feature.
The Eurofighter program, managed by the Eurofighter GmbH consortium, is participated by Leonardo, BAE Systems and Airbus Defense & Space. The procurement needs of the Air Forces of the four participating countries, Italy, United Kingdom, Germany and Spain, are managed by the NATO Eurofighter & Tornado Management Agency (NETMA).
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