The Eurofighter consortium and the Kuwait Ministry of Defense on April 5 signed a contract for the delivery of 28 Eurofighter Typhoons to the Kuwait air force. The estimated €8 billion ($9 billion) transaction represents the largest contract landed by lead company Finmeccanica, which will build the multi-role fighters in Italy.

The sale to Kuwait of 22 single-seat and six twin-seat Typhoons followed an intergovernmental agreement the Italian and Kuwait governments reached in September. Italy’s Finmeccanica, which leads commercial activities of the Eurofighter consortium in Kuwait, signed the contract in the presence of Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti and her Kuwaiti counterpart, Gen. Khaled Al Jarrah Al Sabah.

Kuwaiti Typhoons will be Tranche 3 standard, equipped with the new E-Scan electronically scanned radar developed by the Finmeccanica-led EuroRADAR consortium. The monetary value and delivery time frame of the transaction were not disclosed. Reuters placed the value at between €7 billion and €8 billion, with roughly half that amount going to Finmeccanica. The contract includes logistics, operational support and training of flight crews and ground personnel, which the Italian Air Force will assist.

More than 470 Typhoons have been delivered to the air forces of six countries since the type entered service in 2003, according to the Eurofighter consortium. Kuwait is the program’s eighth customer and the third in the Persian Gulf region after Saudi Arabia and Oman.

“This is Finmeccanica’s largest ever commercial achievement,” said Mauro Moretti, Finmeccanica CEO. “It is an outstanding industrial success with significant benefits, not only for our company and the other Eurofighter consortium partners, but also for the entire Italian aerospace industry.”