Germany’s first Tranche 4 Eurofighter has taken to the skies above Manching: the first of 38 aircraft ordered under the Quadriga programme in November 2020.
The maiden flight of Germany’s first Tranche 4 Eurofighter took place out of the Airbus plant in Manching on 14 July 2026 and reportedly lasted about an hour. Like all German Eurofighters, the aircraft was manufactured locally in Upper Bavaria.
It is one of 38 aircraft that Germany ordered as part of the Quadriga programme in November 2020. The order comprises 30 single-seaters and eight two-seaters for approximately EUR 5.5 billion. The new jets are intended to replace the technically outdated Tranche 1 Eurofighters of the German Air Force.
The most striking feature of the Tranche 4 Eurofighters is a significantly more powerful active electronically scanned-array (AESA) radar: the Eurofighter Common Radar System Mark 1 (ECRS Mk1), developed by the German sensor manufacturer Hensoldt together with its Spanish partner Indra.
Thanks to the radar’s new multi-channel receivers and broadband transmit/receive modules, the jet can perform several tasks simultaneously, such as tracking individual targets while simultaneously scanning the entire airspace over a large area.
According to Hensoldt, the system offers a 50% greater angular coverage than previous AESA radars. In addition, it features modernised hardware and software, as well as enhanced capabilities for engaging air and ground targets, which are intended to equip the Eurofighter for the coming decades.
With approximately 138 aircraft currently in German service, the Eurofighter forms the backbone of German air defences and also provides a significant economic boost; according to Airbus, Tranche 4 alone secures around 25,000 direct and indirect jobs in Germany at approximately 120 participating suppliers and is expected to contribute EUR 6.5 billion to Germany’s gross domestic product by 2060.
Parallel to Tranche 4, the next development steps are already underway: with the Eurofighter’s Phase 4 Enhancement, the jet will receive a further improved radar and a more modern cockpit, while the Eurofighter Long Term Evolution programme is intended to make the aircraft fit for interaction with Germany’s planned future fighter aircraft system, FCAS, via a cloud connection.
According to Airbus, the company is on schedule and plans to deliver the first new Eurofighter to the Luftwaffe this year, while the first of 35 Lockheed Martin F-35s ordered in December 2022 are not expected to be delivered until next year.
In the autumn of 2025 the German government also ordered 20 more Eurofighters: further improved Tranche 5 aircraft worth EUR 3.75 billion. Their delivery is scheduled for between 2031 and 2034. The maiden flight of aircraft 34+02 thus symbolises that the Eurofighter Tranche 4 serves as a basis for a continuous Luftwaffe modernisation effort.
This article first appeared on https://defence-network.com.
