European nations signed a 9.1 billion euro contract on Friday for a further 112 Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets including a 1.4 billion euro engine deal, Reuters reported. The deal between Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain and a consortium of European arms firms follows months of debate over the cost of keeping production lines open amid concerns over budgets and growing debate over defence priorities. Ministers from the partner nations signed the contract in front of an audience of military chiefs and defence contractors. The deal represents a bost for manufacturers Britain's BAE Systems, Italian group Finmeccanica and European aerospace group EADS EAD.PA, which represents the industrial interests of both German and Spain. The engines are provided by a consortium led by Britain's Rolls-Royce and MTU Aero Engines of Germany. The deal brings to 559 the number of Typhoons in service or under produciton contract, including 72 sold by Britain to Saudi Arabia and 15 sold by Germany to Austria. Critics say the jet was designed to defeat a now obsolete Soviet threat. Backers say it could generate billions of dollars in further exports and that it directly or indirectly supports 100,000 high-tech jobs among producers and their suppliers.
