Eurofighter Jet Cost Overrruns Will Not Be Known Until After The Next German Election

It appears that German citizens will not be informed of the true costs of the Eurofighter before the national election on Sept. 22, at least according to the Defense Ministry's plan. The case is now closed and there is "currently no reason" for further discussion of the subject, officials there say. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière, shown here next to a Eurofighter, is already under fire over the recent cancellation of the Euro Hawk surveillance drone program. Reuters

Fighter Flaws: Warplane Costs Soar amid Mismanagment -- Spiegel Online

Defense contractor EADS appears to have cut corners in its construction of the Eurofighter jet for the German military. The government faces billions in additional costs, but it doesn't want taxpayers to find out until after federal election this fall.

It's an incident that the German military would rather have kept secret. On July 27, 2007, a Eurofighter was flying at low altitude above the Neuburg Air Base in Upper Bavaria when the pilot suddenly spotted a flock of birds in front of the plane.

His first instinct was to quickly pull his plane, with the registration number 30+39, to the side to avoid hitting the birds. But then, unexpectedly, the aircraft spontaneously rolled to the side by 90 degrees.

Personnel in the control tower panicked as the jet sped towards them. Only at the last second did the pilot manage to regain control of the jet. The investigative report by the military, or Bundeswehr, referred to the incident as a "bank angle overshoot," noting drily that "the unexpected behavior" could have resulted in the "loss of the aircraft." In other words, the jet barely escaped going down in flames.

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My Comment: It looks like the American F-35 is not alone when it comes to cost overruns, promises, and failed timetables.