According to a recent study by
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on the economic impact of the ‘Halcon’ and ‘Quadriga’
contracts for Spain, the Eurofighter programme will cumulatively
secure 26,000 jobs in the country until 2060.
The Quadriga
contract was signed in 2020 for 38 new Eurofighter aircraft
for the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) while the Halcon contract,
signed in June 2022, is for 20 Eurofighter jets which will
replace the ageing F-18 fleet operated by the Spanish Air Force on
the Canary Islands.
The Halcon programme will see the Spanish
Eurofighter fleet grow to 90 aircraft, with the first delivery due
in 2026, securing industrial production activity through to 2030.
Quadriga secures production of the new Tranche 4
Eurofighter – currently the most modern European-built combat
aircraft – until 2030, with a service-life well beyond 2060.
The study, which was funded by Airbus together
with the technical support of ITP Aero and performed
independently by PwC over a period of six months until March 2023,
estimates that during its life cycle, the manufacturing phase
(2020-2030) and maintenance phase (2023-2060) of the Halcon and
Quadriga programmes will create on average 657 jobs – direct,
indirect and induced – per year, reaching a total of 26,000
positions by 2060.
That amount equates to a total annual employment
impact of 2.7% direct jobs in the Spanish aerospace sector.
Both Eurofighter Tranche 4 contracts are expected
to contribute nearly €1.7 billion to Spanish GDP, with the
manufacturing and maintenance of Halcon generating approximately
€1.5 billion and the production of Quadriga making up the
remaining €200 million.
The employment and economic contribution during
both phases will generate a total tax collection of €430 million,
from which €151 million will be direct contribution.
Furthermore,
for every euro collected directly, €2.8 of total tax revenue will
be generated in the Spanish economy.
In total, the Eurofighter programme secures more
than 100,000 jobs in Europe, which will be boosted through
latest-generation aircraft, such as the Tranche 4, as well as in
the future, through technological advances within the Eurofighter
development.
