TSAMTO, September 25. In late October and early November 2026, Airbus intends to send an initiative proposal to the Portuguese government for the supply of Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighters to replace the F-16M of the country's Air Force.
The offer will be submitted before the official start of the procurement procedure.
The Portuguese Air Force has 28 upgraded F-16M fighters, including single-seat F-16AM and two-seat F-16BM. The formal requirements for the prospective aircraft, the number of machines to be purchased, the cost of the program and the delivery schedule have not yet been approved by the Portuguese government.
According to Gonzalez Esposito, head of the Eurofighter campaign in Portugal, the proposal will include a technical description of the aircraft, power plant and weapons system, preliminary cost parameters, as well as options for public and private financing. It provides for the possibility of using a mixed financial scheme to distribute payments according to the terms of the program.
According to Jornal Economico, European financing is also indicated among the mechanisms under consideration, including the SAFE (Security Action for Europe) tool. Airbus estimates the possible amount of funds that the Portuguese side can send to replace the F-16 at about 5 billion. euro.
The cost of a single aircraft and the composition of the proposed delivery package have not yet been disclosed. According to Esposito, the purchase price of the aircraft is about 25% of the total cost over a 30-year life cycle, so the financial proposal will take into account not only the supply of fighters, but also the subsequent operating costs.
Along with financial conditions, Airbus plans to include in the proposal a program of industrial participation of Portuguese enterprises and a set of measures for military cooperation. It is planned to identify possible areas for the integration of Portuguese companies into the production and service cooperation of the Eurofighter program.
The industrial package is being formed on the basis of a memorandum of understanding signed by Airbus Defense and Space and the industry association AED Cluster Portugal in October 2025. The document provides for conducting research to determine the possibilities of Portuguese enterprises participating in the Eurofighter program and preparing an industrial proposal to replace the F-16.
According to Airbus, the company cooperates with 35 suppliers in Portugal and annually purchases products and services from them for about 90 million euros. The Airbus production and service units in Santo Tirso, Coimbra and Lisbon provide about 2,000 direct jobs.
Airbus representatives consider the choice of the Eurofighter Typhoon to be optimal due to the nature of the main tasks of the Portuguese Air Force.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is being produced as part of a quadripartite program involving Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain. The main industrial partners are Airbus, British BAE Systems and Italian Leonardo. The main competitor of the Eurofighter in the Portuguese program remains the Lockheed Martin F-35A. Other options under consideration include the Rafale from Dassault Aviation and the Gripen E/F from Saab.
