LONDON: The Gulf nation of Oman is currently in discussions with the British Ministry of Defence regarding the possible purchase of up to 24 Eurofighter Typhoons to replace the Royal Omani Air Force’s aging 24 SEPECAT Jaguars.
The British MoD is hoping to unload some of its Eurofighters, of which it is purchasing 88 from the program’s third tranche production run. Unable to back out of its original commitment to the third tranche purchase due to the GBP2 billion in contractual penalties it would suffer, the MoD hopes that by selling off a portion of these aircraft it will recoup some of the overall investment.
It is estimated that an Omani purchase of the Eurofighter Typhoons might cost more than GBP1.4 billion and that these aircraft would come from the older, in-service Tranche 1 Block 5 Royal Air Force stocks.
Rumors of Omani interest in the British Typhoons have percolated since July 2008, with the Sultanate’s interest piqued over the possibility that the ex-RAF Typhoons would also be outfitted with precision-guided weapons.
