German leaders abandon blockade of Eurofighter sale to Saudi Arabia

COLOGNE, Germany — The German government is no longer concerned over a proposed sale of 48 Eurofighter Typhoons jets to Saudi Arabia, following the kingdom’s help intercepting Houthi-fired missiles aimed at Israel, according to German media reports.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday backed up Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s overture from the day prior, the press agency dpa reported, citing a statement to that effect from government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.

Baerbock had broached the Eurofighter blockade during a visit to Israel, saying Germany would no longer object to a U.K. sale of the aircraft.

Germany, as a co-producer of the jets along with the U.K., Spain and Italy, can veto Eurofigher sales to countries outside of the core user group. The aircraft are made by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.

Saudi Arabia already operates a fleet of more than 70 Eurofighters. Saudi officials have said they want more, threatening to buy other fighter types elsewhere if their request goes unfulfilled.

The policy of Germany’s governing coalition — composed of the Social Democratic, the Green and the Free Democratic parties — was to prohibit weapons sales to parties involved in Yemen’s civil war. Saudi Arabia supports the Yemen government in fighting Houthi rebels, who have aligned themselves with Hamas against Israel. Berlin’s blockade was also grounded in human rights violations committed by Riyadh.

The German government’s about-face, which has led to backlash, especially in Baerbock’s Green Party, has its roots in what Scholz and his foreign minister consider Saudi Arabia’s constructive role in averting an expansion of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war .

Speaking in Jerusalem, Baerbock specifically mentioned Ryadh’s use of its Eurofighters in intercepting Houthi missiles and drones aimed at Israel, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper .

Dan Darling, a defense analyst at Forecast International, said he is surprised German leaders changed their tune.

“The country has long held a critical view on Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, and the Saudis already field a large inventory of capable combat aircraft,” Darling told Defense News. “But British pressure on Germany to lift its export objections, coupled with a newfound bit of realpolitik in Berlin following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine , appears to have altered the current government’s stance on the matter.”

According to Richard Aboulafia, a managing director with AeroDynamic Advisory who has tracked aircraft programs for more than 30 years, said Berlin’s new approach will alleviate its neighbors’ concerns that future arms cooperation with Germany effectively means most export plans are dead on arrival.

“Given what’s at stake, there’s a good chance of a German policy change here,” Aboulafia said. “Germany’s credibility as an arms program partner is very much in doubt without a change. Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s largest export markets, and given recent developments, Germany’s government certainly has the rationale for a policy change.”

The move would also invigorate the industrial complex behind the Eurofighter, argued Douglas Barrie, a senior fellow for military aerospace at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank.

“German arms export policy has placed it increasingly at odds with defense industrial partners, including those in the Eurofighter consortium,” Barrie said. “In effectively blocking the sale of additional Typhoons to Saudi Arabia, Berlin was also risking damaging its domestic defense aerospace sector as well as hindering other export opportunities.”

Sebastian Sprenger reported from Cologne, Germany. Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo reported from Milan.

Sebastian Sprenger is associate editor for Europe at Defense News, reporting on the state of the defense market in the region, and on U.S.-Europe cooperation and multi-national investments in defense and global security. Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. He is based in Cologne, Germany.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

德国科隆——据德国媒体报道，在沙特阿拉伯帮助拦截胡塞武装向以色列发射的导弹后，德国政府不再担心向沙特阿拉伯出售 48 架欧洲台风战斗机的提议。

据德新社报道，德国总理奥拉夫·朔尔茨周一支持了外交部长安娜莱娜·贝尔伯克前一天的提议，德新社援引政府发言人斯特芬·赫贝斯特赖特的声明证实了这一点。

贝尔伯克在访问以色列期间曾提及欧洲战斗机的封锁问题，并表示德国将不再反对英国出售该型飞机。

德国作为欧洲战斗机的联合生产国之一（其他三个国家是英国、西班牙和意大利），有权否决向核心用户群以外的国家出售欧洲战斗机。该型飞机由空客、英国航空航天系统公司和莱昂纳多公司组成的联合体制造。

沙特阿拉伯目前已拥有超过70架台风战斗机。沙特官员表示，他们希望获得更多战斗机，并威胁称，如果他们的要求得不到满足，他们将从其他地方购买其他型号的战斗机。

由社会民主党、绿党和自由民主党组成的德国执政联盟的政策是禁止向也门内战各方出售武器。沙特阿拉伯支持也门政府打击胡塞武装，而胡塞武装已与哈马斯结盟对抗以色列。柏林的封锁也基于利雅得侵犯人权的行为。

德国政府的政策180度大转弯引发了强烈反弹，尤其是在贝尔博克的绿党内部。这一转变的根源在于朔尔茨和他的外交部长认为沙特阿拉伯在阻止持续的以色列-哈马斯战争扩大方面发挥了建设性作用。

据《南德意志报》报道，贝尔博克在耶路撒冷发表讲话时特别提到了利雅得使用其欧洲战斗机拦截胡塞武装向以色列发射的导弹和无人机。

Forecast International 的国防分析师丹·达林表示，他对德国领导人改变态度感到惊讶。

达林告诉《防务新闻》：“英国长期以来对沙特阿拉伯的人权记录持批评态度，而沙特已经拥有大量性能优良的作战飞机。但英国向德国施压，要求其取消对沙特飞机的出口限制，再加上俄罗斯入侵乌克兰后柏林方面展现出的新一轮现实政治考量，似乎改变了德国现任政府在这一问题上的立场。”

据 AeroDynamic Advisory 的总经理 Richard Aboulafia 称，柏林的新做法将缓解其邻国的担忧，即未来与德国的武器合作实际上意味着大多数出口计划都将胎死腹中。AeroDynamic Advisory 的总经理 Richard Aboulafia 追踪飞机项目已有 30 多年。

阿布拉菲亚表示：“鉴于事关重大，德国的政策很可能会改变。如果不做出改变，德国作为军火项目合作伙伴的信誉将受到极大质疑。沙特阿拉伯是世界上最大的出口市场之一，鉴于最近的事态发展，德国政府当然有理由改变政策。”

伦敦国际战略研究所高级军事航空航天研究员道格拉斯·巴里认为，此举还将振兴欧洲战斗机背后的工业体系。

巴里表示：“德国的武器出口政策使其与包括欧洲战斗机联盟在内的国防工业伙伴之间的分歧日益加剧。柏林实际上阻止了向沙特阿拉伯出售更多台风战斗机，这不仅可能损害其国内国防航空航天产业，还可能阻碍其他出口机会。”

塞巴斯蒂安·斯普伦格从德国科隆报道。伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛从米兰报道。

塞巴斯蒂安·斯普伦格是《防务新闻》欧洲版副主编，负责报道该地区的防务市场状况，以及美欧在防务和全球安全领域的合作和多国投资。此前，他曾担任《防务新闻》执行主编。他现居德国科隆。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。