Internationale fighter ontwikkelingen

[Sparkplug]

Lockheed Proposes Stealth Fighter Project with Mitsubishi Heavy (excerpt)

(Source: Nikkei Asian Review; published Oct 15, 2016)

By Sam Nussey

TOKYO -- Lockheed Martin has proposed developing a new Japanese stealth fighter with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the U.S. defense giant's president told The Nikkei.

"We did respond with our partner MHI to the request for information in August," Lockheed Martin President Marillyn Hewson said in an interview at the Japan Aerospace 2016 trade show.

Lockheed Martin's proposal was made in response to a call from Japan's Ministry of Defense, which is weighing options to boost Japan's defensive capabilities in the face of rising regional tensions.

Japan is looking to replace its aging fleet of around 90 F-2 fighters and is mulling three possibilities. The first would be for Japan to develop a new jet domestically. The second would be co-development with foreign defense contractors, such as Lockheed Martin. The third would be to buy more existing aircraft -- say, Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth jet.

The Japanese ministry's deliberations are ongoing, with a second round of information requests to be made by the end of next March. "We will definitely respond [to this request], we will be a part of that process," Hewson said. A final decision is expected in fiscal 2018.

Lockheed Martin rival Boeing has also proposed working with MHI on a replacement for the F-2. Alternatively, the Japanese contractor could opt to go it alone with its experimental stealth fighter, which made its maiden flight in April.

Japan has already purchased 42 F-35s from Lockheed Martin to replace its F-4 fleet. The F-35 was originally developed by the U.S. and eight other countries, including the U.K. and Italy, in what has been described as the world's largest weapons program. (end of excerpt)

Click here for the full story, on Nikkei Asian Review website.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/177989/lockheed-proposes-stealth-fighter-project-with-mitsubishi-heavy.html

[Harald]

Taurus KEPD 350K to South Korea

The first batch of Taurus KEPD 350K stand-off missiles has been delivered to the Korean air force, and two are seen here on a Boeing F-15K Strike Eagle. The missile's integration onto the aircraft is in its final stages.

TAURUS weapon system will provide RoKAF with the most advanced stand-off and deep strike capability currently available on the world market.

Taurus KEPD 350K is an enhanced and upgraded version of the Taurus KEPD 350 missile, which has been in service with the German Air Force since 2005 and with the Spanish Air Force since 2009.

The Taurus KEPD 350K is a modular stand-off missile system for precision strikes. The KEPD 350K missile has been designed and developed to fly through dense air defenses at a very low terrain-following level and for the engagement of high-value targets.

The missile contains a highly effective dual stage warhead system, which combines excellent penetration capabilities for hard and deeply buried targets with blast-and-fragmentation capabilities against point and area targets.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/release/177941/first-taurus-kepd-stand_off-missiles-handed-over-to-korea.html

[Harald]

Wat als Boeing weer de eenzitter inclusief CFT's kon maken?


F-15C 80-0038 from the 57th FIS at Keflavik, Iceland, seen at Boscombe Down in 1992.

nice !  ..

2-zitters voor NL, zou mijn voorkeur hebben. dus met "wisso"  WSO (Weapons System Officer)

[Harald]

I would love it  ...

[Sparkplug]

  Hadden wij als NL ook wel nieuwe F15SE kunnen aanschaffen ....    .. dan hadden we daar nu al in kunnen vliegen..

Wat als Boeing weer de eenzitter inclusief CFT's kon maken?


F-15C 80-0038 from the 57th FIS at Keflavik, Iceland, seen at Boscombe Down in 1992.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

  Hadden wij als NL ook wel nieuwe F15SE kunnen aanschaffen ....    .. dan hadden we daar nu al in kunnen vliegen..

in een één op één van minimaal 60 exemplaren... helaas.

[Harald]

Kun je je toch eigenlijk niet voorstellen om een jachtvliegtuigtype ongeveer 70 jaar in operationeel gebruik te houden.

idd, was in de regel ondenkbaar, maar denk dat zo-wie-zo de type F-15, F-16, F-18 langer zullen rondvliegen dan hun voorgangers en denk ook hun opvolgers.

Zoals de plannen nu liggen bij de USAF zullen de F-15 nog zeker 20-25 jaar blijven !

  Hadden wij als NL ook wel nieuwe F15SE kunnen aanschaffen ....    .. dan hadden we daar nu al in kunnen vliegen.. 

[Sparkplug]

USAF lays out F-15C/D re-winging plans   (.... F-15 nog lang niet weg te denken uit de USAF ... )

An industry day for the F-15C Service-Life Extension Program (SLEP) is being held at Robins Air Force Base (AFB) in Georgia on 13 October to consider options for the re-winging of all 235 F-15C/D aircraft in the USAF's inventory to see the type through to its projected out-of-service date of 2045.

Kun je je toch eigenlijk niet voorstellen om een jachtvliegtuigtype ongeveer 70 jaar in operationeel gebruik te houden.

[Harald]

USAF lays out F-15C/D re-winging plans   (.... F-15 nog lang niet weg te denken uit de USAF ... )

The US Air Force (USAF) is to moving ahead with plans to re-wing its Boeing F-15C/D Eagle fleet as it looks to maintain the type at the forefront of capabilities over the coming decades.

An industry day for the F-15C Service-Life Extension Program (SLEP) is being held at Robins Air Force Base (AFB) in Georgia on 13 October to consider options for the re-winging of all 235 F-15C/D aircraft in the USAF's inventory to see the type through to its projected out-of-service date of 2045.

As noted on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website, the new wing will be the same stronger unit as that fitted to the F-15E Strike Eagle variant; be capable of 14 years of flying at current worst usage severity before needing depot-level inspections; maintain the current F-15C/D outer-mould line and existing fuselage interfaces; maintain compatibility with the original aerodynamic and structural properties; show airworthiness compliance without additional full-scale durability testing; and be compatible with all existing aircraft and weapons systems to include fuel, hydraulic, electrical, and environment control systems.

Industry day briefing slides posted on the day of the event note that the USAF is looking to receive the first three production prototype wing sets in fiscal year (FY) 2020. Delivery of 10 low-rate initial production (LRIP) sets will take place in 2022, to be followed by the remaining full-rate production (FRP) wings at a rate of about 40 a year through to 2028.

Companies attending the industry day comprise the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Boeing; current wing manufacturer Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI); and sub-contractors CPI Aerostructures, Yulista Aviation, Constellium, Kitco Defense, Cherokee Nation Aerospace and Defense, FQ&P Aviation Limited, and Herndon Products.

A formal request for proposals (RfP) is expected to be issued in the fourth quarter of FY 2017.

http://www.janes.com/article/64588/usaf-lays-out-f-15c-d-re-winging-plans

[Sparkplug]

Sweden's SAAB Sweetens Deal for Gripen Jet

(Source: The Hindu; published Oct 13, 2016)
By Dinakar Peri

LINKOPING, Sweden --- In an aggressive push to capture a share in India's fighter aircraft market, Swedish aerospace major SAAB has offered its latest radar technology as part of the Gripen fighter package along with significant technology transfer in addition to design consultancy for developing the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk-1A which the Indian Air Force (IAF) plans to induct in large numbers.

The move comes even as India is looking to select a single engine fighter aircraft to be built in India in large numbers under the 'Make in India' initiative.

Explaining the developments in Advanced Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, Lars Tossman, vice-president & Head of Communications of SAAB said that they were the first company to develop an AESA radar with Gallium Nitride which, he said, significantly enhances its efficiency and performance over the current AESA radars.

"We will be willing to share this and transfer the technology to India," he told a group of visiting Indian journalists. India is looking to select a single engine fighter aircraft to be built in large numbers in India with extensive technology transfer for which the SAAB had offered its latest Gripen E fighter. "Our Transfer of Technology [ToT] is more than just transfer of assembly work aiming for an indigenous system of systems integration capability to create indigenous capabilities," said Mats Palmberg, heading the SAAB Gripen program for India. Mr. Palmberg said that with AESA radar, stealth was not as important as it was earlier.

Strategic partnership

The company officials said that SAAB was looking for a strategic partner for the Gripen program in the long-term and India and Sweden have good relations without political compulsions.

Officials said Gripen was the first fighter to be integrated with the Meteor, Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile. India is procuring the Meteor, considered a game changer with its range of 150 km, as part of the Rafale package concluded with France recently.

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., which is manufacturing the LCA, is looking for foreign design assistance on the LCA Mk-1A to make specific improvements sought by the IAF which include an AESA radar, mid-air refuelling and improved electronic warfare suite which need design change in addition to other minor improvements.

The SAAB officials said that both the LCA and the Gripen are of similar class and also share the same General Electric engine citing commonality in maintenance and operation. "We have submitted proposals to India on LCA," Mr. Tossman said.

In addition, the SAAB officials offered help in the development of the next-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) being designed by Aeronautical Design Agency (ADA).

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/177888/sweden%E2%80%99s-saab-sweetens-india-deal-for-gripen.html

[Harald]

Australian Senate Confirms F-35A Choice But Wants Plan B    (.. plan B => aankoop extra F-18E/F/G  ?  )

Joint Strike Fighter: Senate Committee Recommends Defence Department Establish Plan B

A Senate committee looking into the controversial multi-billion-dollar Joint Strike Fighter program has recommended Defence develop a plan B in case the high-tech F-35A aircraft are not ready on time.

The first are expected to arrive in Australia in 2018 and enter service in 2020, replacing the F/A-18 Hornet fleet.

The committee investigating the acquisition said it had listened to concerns about the aircraft's manoeuvrability, stealth capabilities, escape system and other features.

Serious problems led to a re-baselining of the program in 2012.

In a report, the committee said it was the only aircraft able to meet Australia's strategic needs, but retained a "healthy scepticism" towards the assurances about the aircraft, its costs and delivery time.

The committee recommended the Department of Defence develop a hedging strategy in case of additional delays.

It noted the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's advice that the "most sensible hedge" would be to order more F/A-18F Super Hornets.

The committee has recommended the hedging strategy be completed by 2018 and capable of implementation by 2019 at the latest.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/177886/australian-senate-confirms-f_35a-choice-but-wants-plan-b.html

[Sparkplug]

JAPAN AEROSPACE: Boeing promotes F-15 as air-to-air missile truck

By Greg Waldron | Tokyo | 12 October, 2016

Boeing believes there are several upgrades that can be applied to Tokyo's fleet of F-15J air superiority fighters, which could both extend the type's service life and greatly enhance its capabilities.

Jim Armington, Boeing's defence head in Japan, says the airframer has shared ideas about possible F-15 upgrades with Tokyo, but declines to comment on specifics.

"The JASDF [Japan Air Self-Defence Force] is looking at missions, and the F-15 has a lot of potential," he says.

Armington does, however, confirm that there are many hours left on Tokyo's airframes, and that with the technology available today, its F-15J fleet could "leapfrog" technologies now present in the market.

"There are a lot of options," says Armington, a former F-15 pilot. "These include AESA [active electronically scanned array] radars, a new mission computer, a new electronic warfare suite, conformal fuel tanks, and additional missiles."

A model on display at Boeing's stand at the Japan Aerospace show depicts an F-15 loaded with 16 Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles: double the load now available.

Armington says the cost of upgrading legacy jets would be considerably less than obtaining new aircraft.

In 2015, Boeing unveiled an enhanced version of the F-15C designed to keep the model operationally relevant through to 2040. Called 2040C, the upgrade package included "quad-pack" munitions racks designed to double the aircraft's air-to-air missile payload to 16 and conformal fuel tanks for extended-range flights. The package also included Raytheon's APG-63(V)3 AESA radar and a long-range infrared search-and-track sensor for a claimed "first sight, first shot, first kill" air-to-air capability.

Will Lane, of Boeing's F-15 sales and marketing team, says new-build F-15 aircraft can accommodate extra missiles on an additional outboard hardpoint. For legacy fighters, including those operated by Japan, fitting an outboard hardpoint would be difficult and expensive, so a better option is to double the number of missiles carried under the fuselage, to eight.

"For legacy jets, we can increase the missile load to 16, but for new jets we can offer 20," says Lane.

The air-to-air mission is a high priority for Japan. In a hypothetical conflict with its main regional rival, China, it would need to contend with waves of cruise missiles in addition to China's growing air force.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/japan-aerospace-boeing-promotes-f-15-as-air-to-air-430296/

[Sparkplug]

Norway AF requests 12 F-35As in proposed block buy

By Stephen Trimble | Washington DC | 12 October, 2016

Norway would buy 12 more Lockheed Martin F-35As for delivery in 2021 and 2022 under a new spending plan submitted to Parliament.

The proposal, if approved, would raise the total number of authorised F-35A purchases to 40 aircraft, or only 12 short of the Norwegian air force's requirement.

The requested authorisation also would allow Norway to participate in a proposed "block buy" for the F-35's US and international partners.

The F-35 Joint Programme Office is working to package purchases of hundreds of F-35s spread over two or three years from 2018 to 2020 into a single order commitment.

In the process, the JPO has to tap dance around US government policies that prohibit a "multi-year procurement" until after a weapons programme completes initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E). The F-35 is not scheduled to complete IOT&E until at least 2018.

Unlike a multi-year procurement, a block buy does not lock the US or international partners into firm orders, but it gives Lockheed's supply chain a long-term view of likely demand.

The JPO hopes to translate that long-term commitment into $2 billion in cost savings over the three-year term.

Norway is the first F-35 customer to request authorisation to enter a block buy.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/norway-af-requests-12-f-35as-in-proposed-block-buy-430271/

Norway voices support for F-35 in budget proposal

[Harald]

F-15 upgrade's

USAF taps Boeing to select new F-15 sensor supplier

The US Air Force has delegated to Boeing the task of selecting a supplier for a $198 million upgrade of the F-15C/D that will enable the twin-engined fighter to detect at long range the heat generated by an aircraft engine.

The proposed acquisition of 132 infrared search and track (IRST) sensors, including 100 for active duty squadrons, 25 for the Air National Guard and eight test assets, follows the delegation approach the USAF also used to upgrade the radars on the F-15E.

By delegating the selection of the sensor pod, the USAF avoids giving losing bidders a chance to protest Boeing's decision to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO).

After selecting the IRST pod supplier, Boeing will be tasked with integrating the pod with the F-15's other systems, including the Raytheon-supplied active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, the USAF says in an acquisition notice dated 10 October.

An IRST sensor — essentially, a gimballed, infrared telescope — is a common feature on the latest Western European and Russian fighter models, and is gaining popularity on US-made fighters.

In contrast with a transmitting radar, an IRST does not actively emit energy as it scans for targets. That makes such sensors useful for maintaining situational awareness in cases where the radar must be turned off to avoid detection.

In budget documents released last February, the USAF justified the estimated cost of giving the F-15 a sensor to detect infrared radiation. Such a sensor scans "a large volume of airspace [and] fills gaps left by other sensors", the document says. The IRST also "complements the radar to enhance survivability and lethality against air-to-air threats".

Boeing is likely to have several options to evaluate. Saudi Arabia equipped its new fleet of Boeing F-15SA fighters with the Lockheed Martin AAS-42 IRST. Lockheed is now offering a version of that IRST to the USAF as the "Legion Pod". Northrop Grumman has developed the "Open Pod" for integration on the F-15.

Meanwhile, Boeing Phantom Works developed an IRST sensor for the USAF's Talon HATE pod. Boeing delivered several Talon HATE pods to the USAF F-15 fleet, but the IRST was a sideline interest. The main point of Talon HATE is to allow the F-15 to communicate with the intra-flight data link on the Lockheed Martin F-22, which otherwise is unable to share data with non-stealthy aircraft.

The IRST sensor is one of several upgrades planned for the USAF's F-15s, which are now expected to remain in service until 2040, or more than 60 years after the F-15A entered service. In addition to radar and communications upgrades, the USAF also is installing BAE Systems' Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS), which gives the F-15 the ability to tracing radar signals to a location that can then be targeted.

Last June, the USAF also started flight tests of a new advanced display core processor, an enabling technology in the cockpit that supports the flood of information generated by the upgraded radar, IRST and EPAWSS.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/usaf-taps-boeing-to-select-new-f-15-sensor-supplier-430208/

[Sparkplug]

Eurofighter Partners Face Hard Decisions on Production, Damages As Orders Run Out

(Source: Defense-Aerospace.com; posted Oct 07, 2016)

By Giovanni de Briganti


Without new orders, Eurofighter's Spanish and German Final Assembly Lines will be the first to close, in 2018, after the delivery of the final aircraft to their national customers; the British line will follow in 2019. (EF Spain)

PARIS --- The four Eurofighter partners face major decisions over the next couple of years, as two of their four final assembly lines begin running out of work in 2018, and production of major components faces a two-year suspension until it resumes in 2018 for the aircraft ordered by Kuwait earlier this year.

Coping with the end of production will create complex management challenges for the four partner companies who own prime contractor Eurofighter Jagdflugzug GmbH, (Airbus, with 46%, BAE Systems with 33% and Leonardo-Finmeccanica, with 21%, according to the latest shareholdings), as well as a loss of revenue that will lead them to decide whether to claim compensation from the four partner governments for the substantial cuts in overall production numbers since the "umbrella contract" was signed.

Closing down a final assembly line is akin to the kiss of death in a market as competitive as the one for modern combat aircraft, and what dissuasive effect closing two FALs might have on prospective customers can only be guessed. Boeing (with the F-18E) and Lockheed Martin (with the F-16) face similar problems, and all are scrambling to ring up new sales before they run out of work.

Losing credibility in the market would be especially ironic for the four Eurofighter partner nations, as they are investing upwards of a billion euros to upgrade the aircraft -- notably by adding an AESA radar, an improved self-defense suite and new, more capable weapons – to make it more competitive and more attractive to prospective customers.

However, the upgrade package has come very late in the game, and while it will substantially improve the effectiveness of their in-service fleets, it might not arrive soon enough for prospective buyers, who would look askance at the closing of final assembly lines or the hibernation of component fabrication.

This is one of the reasons why the partner companies shy away from this issue. "We are not confirming any delivery figures publicly," an Airbus DS spokesman said Oct 05, while a spokesman for BAE Military Aircraft said Oct 6 that "Based on current orders, aircraft will continue to be delivered until 2023," wrongly implying uninterrupted production and glossing over the fact that BAE's own final assembly line is due to close in 2018.

Furthermore, information relating to production workshare and aircraft deliveries is no longer available on the Eurofighter website.

Two FALs to close in 2018, one in 2019 and Italy's in 2022

The crux of the problem is that the two final assembly lines (FAL) operated by the German and Spanish units of Airbus Defence and Space will run out of work in 2018 and 2019, when they deliver the last aircraft to their respective air forces.

As of September, Airbus Spain had delivered 61 of 73 Eurofighters, with 12 left, while as of July 1 Airbus Germany had delivered 120 of 143 aircraft on order. Even though both are stretching out production as much as possible (by lowering production rates to 8 aircraft/year in Germany and 4 per year in Spain), it is inevitable that, without a new order, they will begin to shut down in 2018, either temporarily or permanently.

Eurofighter Deliveries, 2016-2022



(D-A.com research and analysis of manufacturer and MoD data, other sources)
* Final delivery to Kuwait tentatively scheduled for 4th Quarter 2022, but could slide into 2023.

"After delivery of last German Air Force aircraft, the Airbus FAL at Manching will be interrupted until further‎ export contracts are acquired (capability to produce further Eurofighter in Manching will be secured) [but] assembly of centre fuselages will continue," the Airbus DS spokesman said Oct 5.

The situation is marginally better in Britain, as foreign sales have helped to make up for large cuts in national orders. BAE says in its latest annual report that 18 Typhoon aircraft were delivered from the UK final assembly facility in 2015, of which 12 for Saudi Arabia, and in November 2015 the company decided to reduce its production rate to delay the inevitable.

As of June 30, BAE had a backlog of 42 aircraft (22 for the Royal Air Force, 8 for Saudi Arabia and 12 for Oman), but contractual delivery deadlines limit its flexibility to slow production.

Current plans call for BAE to deliver 7 aircraft in the second half of 2016, 17 in 2017, 12 in 2018 and the final 6 in 2019, when the British FAL will close unless BAE finds new foreign customers.

In fact, it is Italy that seems to have best managed its Eurofighter assembly line, thanks to its recent 28-aircraft order from Kuwait. On current orders, it has a backlog of 42 aircraft, which will keep its final assembly line in business until end 2022 -- or early 2023 – four years later then its three program partners. Production schedules as of June 30 call for three more aircraft to be delivered this year, 5 each in 2017 and 2018, 3 in 2019, 9 each in 2020 and 2021, and the last 8 in 2022.

Component production to be suspended two years

As final assembly is winding down, fabrication of components will be suspended in three countries of the four countries, and will not resume until 2018, when new parts will be needed to assemble the 28 aircraft ordered by Kuwait.

Airbus Spain will build its last wing in July 2017, for example, and Airbus subsidiary Premium Aerotech is now building its final center fuselage, after which their component production lines will temporarily close down for at least two years, Die Welt reported quoting a company spokesman. Several phone calls and an e-mail to Aerotech's Head of Communications, Markus Wölfle, were ignored.

In November, BAE Systems "announced a reduction in its build rate for Typhoon assemblies to ensure production continuity at competitive costs over the medium term," which in simple words means they're stretching out production as long as possible to avoid having to close, mothball and then re-open the lines on which it builds components and parts.

Financial implications 

Whenever they may happen, these production shutdowns will have financially significant consequences. For example, according to its latest annual report, BAE Systems gained £1.1 billion in 2014 and £1.4 billion in 2015 "under the Typhoon work share agreement with Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH," the program's nominal prime contractor, and this business will inevitably slow in the absence of new orders.

By extrapolating from BAE's figures, and based on current workshare, we estimate that in 2015 Eurofighter fabrication was worth about 2.7 billion euros to Airbus DS (the company does not break out Eurofighter revenue). Leonardo said in its annual report that revenue obtained through Eurofighter amounted to 897 million euros in 2015 and 898 million euros in 2014.

Thanks to slower assembly, and the Kuwaiti contract, Leonardo will interrupt neither its final assembly line nor its component production until 2022, when the last Kuwaiti aircraft is to be delivered, a company spokesman said Oct. 7.

Consequently, and alone among the partner companies, Leonardo will continue to benefit from steady revenue from the Eurofighter program until 2023, albeit it with a dip in 2019.

It should be noted that workshare differs somewhat from shareholding, as the respective production work shares stand at 43% for Airbus Defence and Space, 37.5% for BAE Systems and 19.5% for Finmeccanica.



The original Eurofighter workshare and production runs have since been substantially modified. (Source: BAES) 

Compensation or no compensation? 

Compensation will look more attractive to Germany and Spain, which have achieved no export sales of Eurofighter, but could appear less justified for Britain and Italy, whose government-backed export sales (to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, respectively) have partly compensated for cuts in national orders.

The partner companies have not so far mentioned any figure for the damages they might be seeking, but Die Welt estimated them in the high hundreds of million euros in an Oct. 4 article.

However, given that the German government has already fined Airbus for late delivery of the A400M airlifter, the company's position regarding compensation and damages to be claimed from Germany and Spain, its two national customers, may be difficult to resolve.

Initial production cut by 25%

When the Eurofighter program was launched, the four partner nations signed a contract in January 1998 to jointly produce 620 aircraft: 232 for Germany, 180 for Germany, 121 for Italy and 87 for Spain; a clause also included options on another 90 aircraft.

However, in 2009, the third production batch (known as "Tranche 3") was divided into two parts: Tranche 3A, which was ordered, and Tranche 3B, on which governments deferred a decision until 2014.

As Tranche 3B has now lapsed due to a lack of contract, final production for the four partner countries will be limited to 470 aircraft – a drop of nearly 25% compared to the initial 620, and so a substantial loss of business for the companies involved.

Just the cancellation of Tranche 3B (124 aircraft) represents a major loss of business for the four manufacturers, and for which they are contractually entitled to compensation.

Tranche 1 retirement by 2019 means loss of upgrade revenue

European Eurofighter fleets are also due to shrink further by the end of this decade, when all four countries plan to retire their Tranche 1 aircraft, which they have been trying to offload on the world market for some time.

This means that these aircraft will not be upgraded beyond minor improvements to their avionics to keep them current, so industry will lose another revenue opportunity on the program.

Tranche 1 aircraft in service currently total 133 aircraft: 28 in Italy, 18 in Spain, and 33 in Germany, but the biggest operator is the Royal Air Force, which has 53 in service. Originally due to be retired in 2019, the latter may in fact serve longer and equip two new Typhoon squadrons that the British Strategic Defence and Security Review revealed would be set up for the air policing / QRA mission.

And now? 

Germany and Spain currently have no combat aircraft to follow Eurofighter production, and although the UK is a major production partner for the F-35, it will not have a final assembly line of its own.

Again, Italy seems to have best managed its transition out of the Eurofighter program, as it is already producing F-35 parts and is already assembling aircraft on a new, government-paid but Leonardo-operated Final Assembly and Check-Out (FACO) line at Cameri, near Milan.

After Eurofighter production ends, only two relatively small, family-owned companies will be able to produce European combat aircraft: Dassault Aviation of France and Saab AB of Sweden.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/feature/177740/eurofighter-four-face-hard-decisions-on-production%2C-damages-as-orders-run-out.html