20 July 2023

Spain to equip Eurofighters with latest Brimstone 3A missile

by Gareth Jennings

Spain's Tranche 2 to Tranche 4 Eurofighter combat aircraft are to be equipped with the Brimstone 3A air-to-surface missile from 2026. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)

The Spanish Air Force (Ejército del Aire Español: EdAE) is to equip its Eurofighter Typhoon (C 16 in national service) combat aircraft with the latest variant MBDA Brimstone 3A air-to-surface missile, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) told Janes on 20 July.

A spokesperson for the MoD said that the low-yield missile will equip the EdAE's Tranche 2, Tranche 3, and Tranche 4 aircraft from 2026.

According to the MoD, the missiles have not yet been received by Spain, with deliveries tied to ongoing Eurofighter integration efforts across the wider consortium that also includes Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

The EdAE fields 70 Eurofighters, of which 55 are at the Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 standard to be equipped with the Brimstone. The MoD told Janes that work to upgrade the software and the hardware of these aircraft to accept the missile has begun. A further 20 Tranche 4 aircraft have been ordered under Project Halcon, with a potential follow-on Halcon II buy that could be for as many as 60 aircraft (assuming a 1:1 replacement for Boeing EF-18 Hornet [C 15], although it is likely to be less given the probable scenario of a split buy with the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II). These Tranche 4 aircraft will already be equipped to carry the missile.

The MoD's confirmation of the variant of Brimstone to be carried by the EdAE's Eurofighter fleet came about seven months after the Air Group Chief of Ala 14 (Wing 14), Lieutenant Colonel Jesús M Salazar Ortiz de Landázuri, told Janes

The Spanish Air Force (Ejército del Aire Español: EdAE) is to equip its Eurofighter Typhoon (C 16 in...

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