Eurofighter GmbH

Eurofighter GmbH, formally Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, is the German-headquartered joint venture that coordinates the design, production and upgrade of the Eurofighter Typhoon military jet. It was founded in 1986 and has its head office in Hallbergmoos, Germany. The company is owned by the major aerospace firms of the four partner nations: Airbus Defence and Space, then known as EADS, holds 46 percent, BAE Systems Military Air and Information holds 33 percent and Leonardo holds 21 percent. The Typhoon engine is not its own product, because it is designed and built by another consortium, EuroJet Turbo. The first production contract was signed on 30 January 1998 between Eurofighter GmbH, Eurojet and the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency, which buys on behalf of the partner nations. The arrangement follows the model of the earlier Panavia Aircraft partnership that delivered the Tornado, and the Typhoon has four separate assembly lines, one run by each partner company.