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Panavia Tornado fighter jets are the mainstay of Germany. Photo/crown
BERLIN – Since being attacked by Russia in February 2022, the war between Russia and Ukraine has not subsided. Germany is one of the countries that is aggressively sending military aid to Ukraine.
In January 2023, it was reported that Germany would send a military aid package of 1 billion euros to Ukraine.
Apart from tanks, fighter jets are also qualified defense equipment owned by Germany. So, what are the German fighter jets ready to face Russia?
The following are German fighter jets ready to face Russia:
1. Typhoon
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a fighter jet developed by 5 countries, namely Germany, France, Great Britain, Spain and Italy in the mid-1980s to 1990s. The first flight of this fighter jet was made in 1994 in prototype form.
In 1998, a production contract for this jet was signed. The allocation is 232 units for England, 180 units for Germany, 96 units for Italy and 87 units for Spain.
Meanwhile, another country that also uses the Typhoon is India. The Indian Air Force received the Typhoon for flight tests in 2010. At that time, there were 6 Typhoon jets being tested by India.
This fighter jet became a topic of conversation again when it reportedly intercepted a Russian aircraft (Tu-134) in the vicinity of Estonian airspace on Friday, March 17 2023.
The existence of the 2 Typhoon units was carried out in an effort to control NATO air. During the intercept, the Russian aircraft was accompanied by 2 Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker fighter jets and 1 AN-12 Cub military transport aircraft.
2. Tornado
Apart from the Typhoon, Germany is also known to have the Panavia Tornado fighter jet, or better known as the Tornado.
Just like the Typhoon, the Tornado was also a collective product made by Germany (then still called West Germany) together with Italy and England.
The Tornado fighter jet made its maiden flight on August 14, 1974. This fighter jet has been designed since the 1960s with undoubted maneuverability. Tornadoes can carry most of the weapons, including bombs, lasers, and NATO anti-missile ships.
Currently, Germany is known to have 93 Tornado jets which will soon enter retirement. Seeing this, Ukraine reportedly wants to request a Tornado, before being replaced by an F-35 stealth fighter from the United States (US).
According to the Eurasia Times website, Deputy Foreign Minister and former Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany, Andrii Melnyk, requested the delivery of the Tornado to Germany on January 15, 2023.
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