New fighter jets

Austrian Armed Forces conclude billion-euro deal with Italy

Italian aircraft are replacing the Saab 105.(Bild: Paul Tikal)

The purchase of fighter jets worth over one billion euros for the Austrian Armed Forces has been finalized, according to the newspaper "Krone". Twelve Italian jets from the manufacturer Leonardo, which already supplies the army with helicopters, will be purchased. For the first time since the Eurofighter, offsetting transactions worth more than 200 million euros have also been agreed.

The deal has not yet been officially confirmed, but according to "Krone" information, the signing is imminent in both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Economics. Official announcements are to be made towards the end of the week. Both ministries are still keeping a low profile. They are in the home straight, but not all the necessary contracts have been signed yet.

Ministry of Defense has favored Leonardo(Bild: Leonardo)

The two-seater trainer and multi-role combat aircraft will replace the Saab 105, which was retired at the end of 2020. With this purchase, the Austrian Armed Forces will retain its two-fleet strategy, whereby the Eurofighters will also have to be replaced in 2030. The decision in favor of the M-346FA has been on the horizon for some time. It was only in the summer that the Ministry of Defense described the Leonardo as having "no alternative" because only it met all 78 performance criteria, while the other two competitors only met 61 and 26 respectively.

In 2022, the army purchased 36 Leonardo helicopters.(Bild: Bundesheer)

It is not yet entirely clear how high the purchase price will be in detail. Originally, there was talk of 1.1 billion euros. Most recently, however, 1.6 billion was reported. However, criticism was voiced in advance that Austria was tying itself to Italy for the long term in terms of defense. The Italian manufacturer Leonardo is already supplying the Austrian Armed Forces with 36 AW-169 helicopters.

However, 20 to 30 percent of the purchase price is to flow back into Austria's economy in the form of countertrade. In contrast to the controversial Eurofighter deals 25 years ago, this time no shady arms dealers and lobbyists will be involved, but the contracts will be brokered directly between the countries. The Financial Procurator's Office will act as a supervisory body to define the legal framework.

Fighter pilot training to be brought back to Austria 
With the new aircraft, the Austrian Armed Forces are bringing 100 percent of pilot training back to Austria. Since the withdrawal of the Saab, fighter pilot training has been outsourced to Italy and Germany at great expense. However, the jets are not only used to train student pilots, but also to monitor the airspace. The price includes training hours, a maintenance package, simulators and weapons.