"The aircraft, a single-seater, has the production number GS0115 and the service registration 34+03."
The jet unveiled: GS0115 and the test program
Airbus Defense & Space presented Germany’s first publicly shown Tranche 4 Eurofighter at its Manching site near Munich during the Airbus Defense Summit. The example displayed is a single-seat machine bearing production number GS0115 and service registration 34+03. Airbus reports several Tranche 4 aircraft have been completed at Manching but, as of the unveiling, none of the German Tranche 4 jets had yet flown; flight testing is scheduled to begin in the coming weeks.
How the Tranche 4 differs under the skin: ECRS and avionics choices
Although the Tranche 4 Typhoon resembles earlier Tranche 1–3 aircraft at a glance, its sensor and avionics package marks a clear step change. The Tranche 4 is fitted with an AESA radar from Hensoldt, part of the European Common Radar System (ECRS) family. The ECRS story has produced three discrete AESA versions: the Mk 0 (fitted on aircraft for Kuwait and Qatar and on initial Tranche 4 deliveries), the Mk 1 (the definitive standard for Germany and Spain), and the Mk 2 (the United Kingdom’s version).
All three ECRS types combine traditional search and targeting with electronic warfare and high‑speed communications tasks. The Tranche 4 revealed at Manching still lacks the PIRATE passive infrared/IRST sensor, a capability Germany omitted originally on budget grounds. Additional avionics upgrades are expected under the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) program — including a Large Area Display, new flight‑control and mission computers, communications gear, and armament control — but Germany has not yet committed to which items from that ‘menu’ it will select.
Project Quadriga and the numbers Germany has ordered
Under Project Quadriga, Germany ordered 38 Tranche 4‑standard Eurofighters in November 2020. Of those, 31 will be single‑seat and seven two‑seat aircraft; the total includes replacements for two Eurofighters lost in accidents. Those Tranche 4 jets are planned to replace early Tranche 1 aircraft. Beyond the 38, Berlin plans to buy another 55 Eurofighters as a partial replacement for the Tornado fleet, bringing Germany’s Tranche 4 commitment and follow‑on buys to 93 aircraft in total. Separately, Germany has ordered 20 Tranche 5 Eurofighters under a contract signed late last year.
The German procurement picture also includes 35 F‑35A aircraft to cover part of the Tornado nuclear strike role: those F‑35As will be able to carry B61‑12 free‑fall nuclear bombs and are expected to serve in Germany’s expanding conventional long‑range strike arsenal, including mission sets that could use the Joint Strike Missile (JSM) cruise missile.
Electronic‑warfare Typhoons and replacing the Tornado ECR
Outside Project Quadriga, Germany plans to convert 15 existing Eurofighters into electronic warfare (EW) variants known as Typhoon EK. These EK jets will be fitted with Saab’s Arexis EW suite and will be able to employ AGM‑88E Advanced Anti‑radiation Guided Missiles to suppress and destroy enemy air defenses. The EK conversions are slated to replace Germany’s Tornado ECR aircraft, which have performed the suppression/strike role since the 1990s.
What this means for German policymakers, Luftwaffe planners, and defense technologists
- German policymakers and procurement leaders: The Tranche 4 rollout and the companion orders (an additional 55 Eurofighters, 20 Tranche 5s, plus 35 F‑35As) reflect an effort to re-arm and restructure capability mixes — including nuclear‑certifiable strike and conventional long‑range strike — while juggling budgetary choices such as the omission of PIRATE on initial Tranche 4 aircraft.
- Luftwaffe planners: The Tranche 4, Typhoon EK conversions, and incoming F‑35As will reshape mission allocations across air superiority, EW/suppression of enemy air defenses, and strike roles. Flight testing of German Tranche 4 jets in the coming weeks will be a near‑term milestone to validate sensors and integration work.
- Defense technologists and industry partners: The ECRS program’s three‑variant pathway (Mk 0, Mk 1, Mk 2) and the LTE avionics options create multiple integration tracks — from radar performance and electronic warfare fusion to the Large Area Display and crew interfaces used for future crewed‑uncrewed teaming concepts.
The unveiling in Bavaria underlines a pragmatic German shift: the Eurofighter is not being written off as an interim stopgap but is being modernized, diversified, and retained as a long‑term asset. That posture is reinforced by plans to operate Eurofighter alongside so‑called ‘‘loyal wingman’’ drones — candidates include the XQ‑58A Valkyrie (offered by Airbus and Kratos), Boeing Australia and Rheinmetall’s MQ‑28 Ghost Bat, Airbus’s Wingman concept, and the CA‑1 Europa from startup Helsing — and by the decision to convert existing Typhoons into dedicated EW platforms. With flight testing imminent and Germany’s procurement mix expanding, the Tranche 4 rollout will be an early indicator of how those technical choices and doctrinal shifts will play out.
https://www.twz.com/air/germany-unveils-latest-tranche-4-eurofighter
