Kuwait awaits Typhoons
Senior Kuwaiti military officers and Sheikh Azzam Al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti ambassador to Italy, line up in front of one of the initial two Typhoon Tranche 3A aircraft being delivered to Kuwait. (Photo: KUNA)
The Kuwait Air Force has received its first pair of Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 3A aircraft from Leonardo, according to state-run news agency KUNA.
The aircraft were handed over in Italy by Leonardo before their scheduled arrival in Kuwait on 14 December.
Sheikh Azzam Al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti ambassador to Italy, said at the handover ceremony: ‘Today, with this step, we are entering a new phase of cooperation and coordination between the Italian and Kuwaiti Ministries of Defense in order to establish an industrial, technical and educational base in the State of Kuwait.’
Kuwait signed a €7.96 billion ($8.8 billion) contract with Leonardo in April 2016 for 28 Tranche 3A aircraft, to include Storm Shadow, Brimstone and other air-to-surface weapons.
Additional features of the Kuwaiti aircraft include the Lockheed Martin Sniper laser designator pod, the DRS-Cubic ACMI P5 combat training pod, enhanced VOR navigation aids and the Captor E-Scan radar with antenna repositioner.
Initial deliveries were scheduled originally for 2020 but Leonardo admitted in its half-year financial results presentation in July 2020 that a delay until 2021 was likely.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 3A [Kuwait]
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
Elbit Systems discloses Iron Beam update and work on laser solution for IAF
In its Q2 earnings call, the company said it has internal targets set for similar double-digit growth for 2026, as it welcomed a 21% boost in 2025 profits so far compared to 2024.
-
Poland confirms US$3.8 billion F-16V upgrade
The Mid-Life Upgrade agreement comes as Poland makes significant increases in its defence spend as its plans to increase it to 5% of GDP by 2026.
-
How unconventional warfare demands are changing the CUAS and drone development landscape
The use of drones in unconventional ways is accelerating technological advances and countermeasures as military planners try to stay ahead of the drone revolution in military affairs.
-
Applied Intuition takes aim at major air combat programmes with UK expansion
The autonomous software company’s new UK subsidiary is the latest in a line of businesses poised to expand and offer its services to the UK Ministry of Defence and industry, as the country invests more in AI and autonomous technology to deliver the next generation of uncrewed systems.