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Eurofighter future in doubt amid UK hesitancy

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Apr 25, IRNA -- The British government was reported Saturday to be under growing pressure to keep its commitment to buy 16 more Eurofighters that could put the future of the rest of the programme in doubt amid increasing restraints on defence budgets.

According to the Financial Times, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has defied calls to make a £1 billion for the Eurofighter Typhoon jets following a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who to urge him to make a decision on funding.

“Given other defence priorities, the prime minister has no intention of going ahead until we’re absolutely sure we have the best out of this deal,” Brown’s spokesman told the daily.

The issue is over agreement on a third production run of 236 aircraft that has been held up as the UK’s Ministry of Defence and Treasury thrash out a deal over funding, against a backdrop of ballooning national debt and a stretched defence budget.

The four-nation Eurofighter programme, involving the UK, Germany, France and Italy, was launched in 1988 in an agreement to split 620 jets between them in three separate batches.

Britain started to take delivery of its first quota of the Typhoon, which cost an estimated £100 million each, in 2003 to replace its fleet of Tornado.

But the programme has been bathed in controversy not only over the cost but also criticism that the Eurofighter is an outdated Cold War weapon, unsuitable for modern wars against terrorists and insurgents.

To counter the criticism, Britain’s Air Force declared last year the Typhoon was now also capable of carrying out ground attacks in addition to its original air defence role and that the upgrade meant it will be able to operate more effectively in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The UK is also involved in the multi-billion development of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) the next generation of supersonic stealth fast jets, and last month announced a decision to purchase three test aircraft.

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End News / IRNA / News Code 453202