Airbus introduced the maiden flight of the primary Eurofighter acquired by the German Air Drive underneath Undertaking Quadriga, which can procure 38 Tranche 4 jets to exchange the oldest plane in service.
The primary Tranche 4 Eurofighter Hurricane for the German Air Drive (Luftwaffe) made its maiden flight from Airbus’ facility in Manching, Germany, the corporate introduced on Jul. 15, 2026. Airbus is now trying on the supply of the jet, the primary procured underneath the Quadriga program, later this yr.
As a part of Undertaking Quadriga, the service introduced in November 2020 that it might purchase 38 new Tranche 4 Eurofighters, meant to exchange an equal variety of the Luftwaffe’s older Tranche 1 jets. Airbus now described the primary flight of the brand new Tranche of Eurofighters as “an enormous step ahead for European protection and sovereignty.”
Work is already ongoing additionally for the Tranche 5, set to be delivered between 2031 and 2034, and change a part of the Luftwaffe’s Twister ECR (Digital Fight and Reconnaissance) fleet. The remainder of the fleet will likely be changed by the devoted Suppression of Enemy Air Protection (SEAD) Eurofighter EK (Elektronischer Kampf), with Airbus changing 15 of the Luftwaffe’s older Eurofighters to that customary.
The primary Airbus Quadriga Eurofighter (Tranche4) for Workforce Luftwaffe has formally accomplished its maiden flight! 🛫This isn’t only a milestone for the programme — taking this new construct customary to the sky is a large step ahead for European protection and sovereignty. That includes… pic.twitter.com/QWpc4szEfx
— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) July 15, 2026
Luftwaffe Eurofighter Tranche 4 first flight
German protection information portal Hartpunkt, quoting Airbus officers, mentioned the plane that participated within the Manufacturing Flight Acceptance Check (PFAT) bore registration 34+02 and was piloted by Airbus check pilot Stefan Auer. The flight lasted for little greater than an hour, and Auer “pushed […] the fighter to its limits” evaluating its “primary flight traits, engine efficiency, flight management system, hydraulics, and electrical programs.”
Different programs that had been examined embrace cockpit instrumentation, navigation and communication programs. Airbus’ Navy Plane Middle in Manching is at the moment manufacturing 58 Eurofighters, together with Germany’s aforementioned 38 Tranche 4 and 20 Tranche 5 airframes, whose contract was signed in October 2025.
Of the 38 Quadriga fighters, 30 can be single-seaters whereas eight are twin-seater. Hartpunkt added that the deliveries of the 38 fighters will likely be accomplished by 2030.
Airbus has lengthy confused upon the financial dimension of the undertaking, mentioning that the German Quadriga and Spanish Halcon packages create 7,800 direct jobs in each nations, add Euro 6.5 billion to their GDPs and earn Euro 3.6 billion in tax income. The corresponding figures for the Tranche 5 and Halcon II packages stand at 19,500 jobs, Euro 15.3 billion and Euro 8.2 billion, respectively.
ECRS radar on Tranche 4 and Tranche 5 jets
The flight of the primary Quadriga jet comes alongside the testing of the European Widespread Radar System (ECRS) Mk 1 Energetic Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar – also called the E-Scan – on the Airbus A320 Superior Expertise Analysis Plane (ATRA) testbed. The radar can also be being examined independently by Spain, with a Spanish Air and Area Drive (SASF) Hurricane flying for the primary time with the brand new radar in December 2024.
The ECRS has three variants: ECRS Mk.0, which at the moment equips Kuwaiti and Qatari Eurofighter Typhoons; ECRS Mk.1, meant for the Eurofighter underneath Germany’s Undertaking Quadriga, Tranche 5 and the Spanish Halcon variants; and the ECRS Mk.2, that includes a digital warfare and digital assault capability, being developed for the UK’s Royal Air Drive.
While you and your bestie present as much as the get together in the identical outfit 👀We hope you didn’t fall for our little clickbait 😉 That is after all the hybrid of the @DLR_EN #A320 Superior Expertise Analysis Plane (ATRA) and a #Eurofighter. Following the primary flight earlier this yr,… pic.twitter.com/toNdN1GFjb
— Airbus Defence (@AirbusDefence) September 23, 2025
Indra and Hensoldt, that are working collectively on the Mk 1 variant, reported in June 2025 that they accomplished the manufacturing of the “superior processor and antenna energy provide and management (APSC) subsystems” of the primary ECRS Mk1 radar models. Hensoldt had mentioned that the primary radar fashions will endure intensive qualification and flight checks within the Mk1 Step 1 stage on the ATRA, with sequence manufacturing deliberate in the summertime of 2025.
The ECRS Mk.1 options like digital warfare capabilities, a multi-channel receiver, a wider area of scanning, improved goal recognition, and an enhanced detection vary.
