An Italian defence company’s push to sell Eurofighter Typhoon jets to the Philippines could open the door to broader cooperation between Rome and Manila, with analysts calling the aircraft a promising choice for the country’s military modernisation.
Leonardo, a government-linked company, said it was committed to investing in the Philippines’ defence capabilities for the long term and offered to provide training, technology transfer and related facilities as part of the deal.
The company is promoting the Eurofighter – a multi-role combat aircraft that it has co-developed through a consortium with European plane maker Airbus and British aerospace group BAE Systems – to countries in the Indo-Pacific.
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Among them, Bangladesh on Tuesday signed a letter of intent with Leonardo, in a first step towards buying the Eurofighter. The country is targeting to acquire up to 16 such aircraft, according to media reports.
Leonardo is partly owned by the Italian government, which has a 30.2 per cent stake in the company.
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The cost of each Eurofighter is reportedly estimated at US$117 million, making it one of the world’s most expensive fighter aircraft.