Eurofighter jet contracts will create 26,000 jobs in Spain

Two contracts for the manufacture of NATO fighter jets will provide Spain with up to 26,000 jobs. The deal is expected to contribute around €1.7 billion to Spain’s GDP.

The Eurofighter program will create an average of 657 jobs (direct, indirect, and induced) per year until the end of the contracts in 2060. That is according to a study conducted over the course of six months by PwC and funded by Airbus, one of the aerospace companies in the consortium that manufacturers the fighter jets.

The jobs will mostly land in the Madrid, Basque Country, Castilla la Mancha, and Andalusia regions. Much of the work spans maintenance services, which will extend beyond the production phase and continue until the end of the contracts.

In addition to the sizable boost to Spain’s GDP, the contracts are expected to result in a total tax collection of €430 million, with €151 million of that being direct contributions.

The first contract, for the ‘Quadriga’ program, was signed in 2020, and included an agreement to manufacture 38 Eurofighter aircraft for the German Luftwaffe.

The second contract was for the ‘Halcon’ program, signed in June 2022, which promises 20 new Eurofighter aircrafts to replace the Spanish Air Force’s aging F-18 fighter jets. These new jets will increase Spain’s total Eurofighter fleet to 90 aircraft.

These contracts and – others like them – are part of routine strategic collaboration between European NATO partners to strengthen defense capabilities. This has become a top priority in Europe in light of the war in Ukraine and potential for further escalation by Russia in NATO-adjacent territories.

NATO countries have provided arms to Ukraine since Russia began their full-scale invasion last year. The UK Ministry of Defense is currently considering gifting new Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Eastern European NATO allies to replace their Soviet-era MiG-29 aircraft, which could then potentially be given to the Ukrainian military.

In recent years Spain has become a European leader in the aerospace industry, rivaling Germany, France and the United Kingdom. The United States remains the runaway global leader.