Britain Withdrawing Eurofighters From Service: F-35 Competition Leaves Jets Increasingly Obsolete

The British Ministry of Defence has confirmed plans to begin withdrawing Eurofighter combat jets from service, as well as figures for planned scrapping o the aircraft. Defence Minister Maria Eagle confirmed that the first Eurofighters procured, the Tranche 1 aircraft, would be retired by 2027, followed by the retirement of both Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 aircraft by 2040. She added that the British Armed Forces fielded no Tranche 3A aircraft. Although it was previously expected that the Ministry of Defence would place orders for Tranche 4 or Tranche 5 fighters, this never materialised, largely due to the prioritisation of procurements of newer F-35A and F-35B fifth generation stealth fighters from the United States. The Eurofighter was jointly developed by four partner countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and Italy, with all four states facing pressure from local industry to place further orders despite the significantly greater combat potential offered by the F-35A at a comparable cost.

Further elaborating on plans to withdraw the Eurofighter from service, Minister Eagle stated: 26 of the 30 Tranche 1 Typhoon aircraft have been scrapped as of 1 July 2025; this equates to 87% of the Tranche 1 fleet.” The remaining Tranche 1 fighters are to leave service within the next two years. She noted that only four Tranche 1 aircraft are currently in service, as well as 67 Tranche 2 and 40 Tranche 3 aircraft, for a total of 111. Reports in November 2024 indicated that a decision had been reached by the Ministry of Defence to procure the F-35 rather than the Eurofighter, with an unnamed British official speaking to local media outlet Jane’s stating regarding planned purchases: “We have a foot in both [the F-35 and Eurofighter] camps, and for the RAF [Royal Air Force] I very much see that the F-35 is where we are looking at to add combat mass. We are committed to an onward buy [of the F-35], so that is where we are looking.” It was subsequently confirmed in June 2025 that alongside continued orders for the F-35B, the Ministry of Defence would for the first time finance the procurement of F-35A fighters.

Other than a small sale of 12 fighters to Austria in the 2000s, the Eurofighter program has failed to gain any contracts outside the Gulf region, with the aircraft losing every tender in which it has competed against the F-35, from South Korea and Singapore to Finland and Belgium. The British Ministry of Defence in July announced that it was actively supporting efforts to export the Eurofighter, which was vital to keep a production line for the aircraft open in Warton. Defence Minister Eagle observed at the time that with expectations for further orders to equip the British Royal Air Force having been disappointed, exports were vital to sustaining production. These efforts are expected to be heavily focused on countries which, for political reasons, cannot procure the F-35, in particular countries in the Arab world and Turkey.

Although a number of advanced fourth generation fighters such as the American F-15EX and Chinese J-16 have remained highly competitive into the fifth generation era, the Eurofighter’s combat potential is far more limited. The aircraft were until 2019 hampered by continued reliance on a mechanically scanned array radar, which was considered long since obsolete as the United States, Russia and other major producers began to transition fighter production to use electronically scanned array radars decades prior. The Eurofighter and the Swedish Gripen were the last programs in the world to transition away from mechanically scanned array radars. Compared to the F-15EX or J-16, the Eurofighter is restricted by its carriage of a much smaller radar and weapons payload, and by its significantly more constrained flight performance including a much lower operational altitude and shorter range. Reports on the aircraft’s performance in simulated air-to-air combat exercises have consistently indicated serious limitations, contrasting sharply with the F-35’s reported stellar performance.