Kuwait reduced about $1bln from Eurofighter aircraft deal

KUWAIT CITY: Ministry of Defense has cut back about $1 billion from the Eurofighter aircraft deal, a move that raises question marks about the ability to rapidly slash such a huge amount in response to the government’s request to cut expenditures and the budget, reports Al-Rai daily

Informed sources questioned the reasons for not initiating such a move earlier if it was achievable, wondering whether the matter was related to other aspects concerning the deal.

They said the Ministry of Defense had addressed the Ministry of Finance regarding the estimated costs from the latter in the budget, and made a number of observations regarding it to clarify its position on the recorded deficit, due to the reduction of the draft budget by 20 percent in various sections including valid contracts, new projects, or other obligations.

The sources revealed that the Ministry of Defense informed the Ministry of Finance about the reduction of KD 322 million from the costs for purchasing 28 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.

They expressed their amazement by the fact that such significant reduction by more than $1 billion in a military deal did not affect the terms of the contract, including the training and support.

The sources said the Ministry of Defense affirmed that “all the amounts listed as well as those that have been reduced represent inevitable obligations of the ministry and reflect the ministry’s inability to further cut expenditure cost”.