Müllner (Chief of German Air Force): It is undisputed that the EUROFIGHTER as fighter aircraft is the backbone of our air defence. With the successfully completed test campaign in Sweden and the permission granted to use the GBU-48, we have indeed passed an important milestone on the road towards multirole capability, i.e. the EUROFIGHTER as fighter bomber.
The EUROFIGHTER can also be used in the air-to-ground role and has been reported to the NATO Response Force as multirole fighter aircraft and fighter bomber from the beginning of this year.
However, this new role of the EUROFIGHTER aircraft also has limits, especially when we think of scenarios with powerful air defence.
Russia has state-of-the-art air defence missile systems and is stationing and exporting them. It is not without reason that many of our European partners and our allies from across the Atlantic have introduced combat aircraft that make it possible for pilots to enter an airspace that is protected by advanced air defence systems.
The EUROFIGHTER lacks the required low detectability depending on the design of the radio and data transfer systems and, more significantly, on the outer form of the aircraft which cannot be changed.
For us, this means that the EUROFIGHTER as a fighter bomber can only fulfil its tasks convincingly when employed together with or after a successful employment of state-of-the art aircraft that have a sufficiently reduced signature in the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Furthermore, it still needs considerable additional support through an effective use of electronic warfare assets.