German Officials Angered by Eurofighter Delay

Concerns are mounting in Germany over what is seen as stalling by Britain over the signing of contracts for the second batch of Eurofighter Typhoons, a delay which could disrupt the aircraft's production and plans by the Luftwaffe, Germany's air force, to replace its ageing combat jets. Officials from Germany and its three partners in the project -- Italy, Spain and Britain -- have been thrashing out a deal on the second wave of 236 aircraft since July. Germany is eager to have an agreement in place by December, fearing further delays in production of the second wave which would leave a gap after the last of the first phase models roll out in 2006. Britain is pushing for amendments to the Wave Two design and a 20 percent cut in costs of the jets, which currently ring up at €80 million per plane.