PARIS – BAE Systems said the production pipeline for the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet is filled until the start of final assembly of the sixth-generation stealth aircraft being developed through the Global Combat Air Programme, or GCAP.
“The good news is that we now have production requirements all the way through to when we start doing final assembly of a GCAP capability, which is important,” BAE Chief Executive Officer Charles Woodburn told financial analysts in a call on Wednesday following the London-based company’s full-year earnings report.
Spain and Italy placed additional orders for the Eurofighter at the end of 2024, followed by Germany in October, with Turkey joining the program as a new customer that same month, with deliveries continuing into the mid 2030s. The GCAP program between the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan targets an entry into service in 2035 for the next-gen combat aircraft.
The Eurofighter consortium formed by Airbus, BAE and Leonardo announced plans in June 2025 to increase production of the aircraft to 20 jets a year by mid-2028 from annual production of 14, rising to 30 planes a year at a later point.
“We’ve talked before about sort of the pathway to doubling production rates, and I think we’re well on that, having secured Türkiye, and there are other opportunities,” Woodburn said. Regarding the multi-year plan to increase production rates, “we’re well on that journey, and we will adjust, if needed, upwards if we are successful in securing further orders,” the BAE CEO said.
BAE makes the front fuselage and the vertical stabilizer of the Eurofighter, Airbus makes the center fuselage and right-hand wing, Leonardo makes the left wing, while BAE together with Leonardo supplies the rear fuselage.
Woodburn said Eurofighter has additional opportunities for support and new aircraft sales, both from existing and new customers, and including potential new European orders. He said the latest missile systems from MBDA provide the aircraft with “extremely good capabilities.”
The Eurofighter can carry MBDA’s ramjet-powered Meteor, considered one of the world’s best beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, as well as the Storm Shadow cruise missile. The weapon package for Turkey’s purchase of the aircraft includes the Meteor, the prospect of which had raised alarm in Greece in early 2025.
The GCAP program is “making really good progress,” according to Woodburn, who said BAE is “delighted” with the partnership it has.
Asked whether GCAP would be able to accommodate Airbus as a partner in case the French-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System program falls apart, Woodburn avoided specifics. The competing program to develop a sixth-generation fighter has stalled amid bickering between Airbus and Dassault System over control and work share.
“The decisions around expanding the partnership are entirely down to the three governments of Italy, Japan and the U.K.,” the CEO said. “There’s really not much more I can comment on that, apart from the fact that we have a really strong partnership that is making great progress and moving at pace.”
Europe is becoming an increasingly important part of BAE’s business, with 2025 reported sales in the region climbing 28%, compared to overall sales growth of 8% for the company. The United States is the biggest market for BAE, followed by the U.K.
Europe accounted for 32% of the BAE order book at the end of December, while accounting for 11% of sales in 2025, according to Woodburn, who said he expects “significant growth” there over the next five years as the company works “as we build out that backlog.”
BAE expects to benefit from rising defense spending on the continent, both through its local businesses such as Hägglunds in Sweden and its stakes in Eurofighter and MBDA, as well as by partnering with companies such as PGZ in Poland, which can benefit from the European Union’s defense loans program, according to the CEO.
“In our order outlook, we’re expecting significant growth in Europe, and it’s a combination of selling in from our UK business, but very importantly, strongly enhanced by our footprint already within Europe, and specifically the EU.”
Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.
