On Thursday, January 29, 2026, the European consortium Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, comprising Airbus Defence and Space, Leonardo, and BAE Systems, announced that the EF-2000 Typhoon multirole aircraft program had reached a historic milestone, surpassing one million flight hours across the entire fleet. This breakthrough comes at a critical time for Europe’s security.
Image: Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH
This also means that the EJ200 turbofan engines powering these aircraft, produced by the EuroJet Turbo GmbH consortium, have collectively reached two million flight hours. These figures were compiled and verified by the program’s International Weapon System Support Centre (IWSSC).
“One million flying hours is a truly historic milestone that reflects three decades of teamwork, innovation, and commitment from thousands of people across Europe,” said Jorge Tamarit-Degenhardt, Chief Executive Officer of Eurofighter
“It underscores the Typhoon’s enduring performance, adaptability, and vital role in today’s complex global security landscape. The million flying hours achievement illustrates the deep trust placed in our programme and jet by our partner nations and export customers. It also reflects the outstanding professionalism of the Typhoon pilots, engineers, and technicians who operate and support it every single day. For those involved in the programme — past and present — this is a moment of pride and a reminder that Eurofighter is not only a symbol of European technological excellence, but also of long-term international collaboration. The Eurofighter Typhoon is recognised globally as a cornerstone of NATO and allied air defence, fully interoperable and adaptable to a wide range of mission requirements,” added Jorge Tamarit-Degenhardt.
Currently, around 80% of the operational air missions conducted by Typhoon user nations are carried out by these aircraft, underscoring their exceptional reliability.
Among the many activities performed by the Typhoon in Europe and the Middle East are airspace surveillance, joint patrol initiatives, combat missions, and participation in the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) system, so-called alert scrambles, which provides critical combat mass for Eurofighter operators as well as other nations.
Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Simon Ellard (ret.), General Manager, NETMA (the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency): “Reaching one million flying hours is a powerful testament to the Eurofighter’s performance and reliability.”
““Whether it’s the pilots, ground crew, support staff, NETMA personnel or our industry partners, behind each of these flying hours is a remarkable and dedicated group of people who ensure that the Eurofighter keeps us safe and remains the world’s most advanced multi-role combat aircraft. This historic milestone highlights the success of Europe’s largest defence collaboration programme and I congratulate everybody involved in this fantastic achievement.”
Ralf Breiling, Chief Executive Officer of Eurojet Turbo GmbH: “Reaching two million flying hours is a proud and exciting moment for the EJ200 engine and everyone behind it.”
“Alongside the Typhoon aircraft surpassing one million flying hours, these milestones celebrate the hard work, passion, and technical excellence of our teams, the strength of our partnerships, and the trust our customers place in both the engine and the Typhoon aircraft. It is a powerful endorsement of the engine’s reliability and performance, and we look forward to building on this success as the EJ200 continues to power the Typhoon for many years to come.”
Photo: Jakub Link-Lenczowski, MILMAG
The Eurofighter program supports more than 100,000 jobs across 400 companies in Europe. As Europe’s largest defense program, Eurofighter continues to demonstrate its key role in safeguarding Europe’s security and sustaining the European industrial base in the defense sector.
To date, 782 Typhoon aircraft have been ordered. In recent years alone, additional Typhoons have been ordered by Italy (+24 aircraft, bringing the total to 120), Spain (+20 aircraft plus a further +25, totaling 118), Qatar (+12 aircraft, increasing its fleet to 24), and Germany (38 aircraft plus a further +20, totaling 201). Turkey is set to become a new customer with an order for 20 aircraft. Interest in further purchases has been expressed by Saudi Arabia (additional aircraft beyond its current 71), Ukraine (although it has recently announced plans to acquire Gripen and Rafale aircraft), and Bangladesh, while the aircraft is currently being offered to the Philippines.
Previously, Typhoons were also exported to Kuwait (28 aircraft), Austria (15), and Oman (12). The United Kingdom (160 aircraft) has not yet decided on a replacement for its oldest Typhoons, despite the fact that these aircraft must be retired by 2027. On July 1, 2025, 26 of 30 Tranche 1 aircraft were withdrawn from service, according to information provided by Maria Eagle, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defense Procurement and Industry at the Ministry of Defence.
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