Rome: Kuwait is close to finalising a multi-billion-dollar (euro) purchase of Eurofighter warplanes in a deal that could represent a setback for US rival Boeing, media reports said Friday.
Quoting a person familiar with the negotiations, the financial news service Bloomberg reported that the Kuwaitis were close to agreeing to take 28 of the European consortium’s Typhoon jets under a bilateral agreement with Italy.
Italy’s defence ministry confirmed that the two governments had reached a preliminary understanding which could lead to an accord but refused to divulge any further details.
Kuwait had been expected to opt for Boeing’s Super Hornet F18s. The Gulf state is looking to upgrade its firepower against a backdrop of increased security concerns in the region linked to the rise of Daesh and instability in Iraq and Syria.
A spokesman for Boeing said: “The US Navy and Boeing continue to discuss Super Hornets with potential Middle East customers.”
A source close to the matter said there had been no deal on the Eurofighters and that talks were ongoing with both companies, which could result in Kuwait taking a mix of their planes.
Eurofighter is a partnership between Italy’s Finmeccanica, Britain’s BAE Systems and civilian planemaker Airbus.
Finmeccanica shares rose more than five percent on Friday on hopes for a deal with similar stories appearing in the Italian media.
Leading broadsheet Corriere della Sera said on its website that Finmeccanica had won Kuwaiti contracts worth as much as eight billion euros through its Alenia Aermacchi unit after three years of talks.
The newspaper said an accord had been reached Thursday and signed by Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti and Finmeccanica Chief Executive Officer Mauro Moretti.
There was no immediate comment from the companies involved.
