Britain unlikely to meet Eurofighter commitment - MoD

LONDON, June 11 (Reuters) - Britain is unlikely to buy all of the remaining 48 Eurofighter Typhoon jets it has signed up for, a source at the Ministry of Defence confirmed on Thursday.

The contract was originally conceived 25 years ago and involves Germany, Spain, Italy and Britain building more than 600 of the high-performance combat jets.

Last month, Britain recommitted to the contract, despite cost concerns, but said the final number of aircraft it would buy in the third tranche was still under negotiation [ID:nLE901359].

On Wednesday Germany's Defence Ministry said it planned to go ahead with its full purchase of 180 Eurofighters [ID:nBAT003020].

"The contract for the RAF's Tranche 3 Typhoon aircraft will be signed once there is a satisfactory conclusion to the ongoing negotiations," a spokesperson from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

"Subject to the satisfactory outcome of these negotiations, it is hoped the MoD will be in a position to sign a contract later this year."

According to Thursday's Daily Telegraph, the MoD believes Britain does not need the full 48 jets to meet its defence requirements, as newer versions of Eurofighter can perform a wider range of roles.

The jets are built by the Eurofighter consortium, consisting of Britain's BAE Systems (BAES.L), Italy's Finmeccanica (SIFI.MI), and EADS (EAD.PA) for Germany and Spain.

(Reporting by Rosalba O'Brien)