GERMAN MPS OK $6B DEAL FOR PURCHASE OF EUROFIGHTER WARPLANES

German lawmakers have approved an agreement to buy 38 modernized Eurofighter Typhoon jets for the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) at a cost of €5.4 billion ($6.35 billion).

The agreement on buying Eurofighter Typhoon warplanes is part of the German Defense Ministry's effort to replace its agiing Tornado fighter jets, which entered service with the Luftwaffe back in 1983, GlobalSecurity.org reported.

Luftwaffe Inspector General Ingo Gerhartz touted the Bundetsag's "important decision" as something that will strengthen the air force's combat capabilities, Oleg Burunov reported for Sputnik International.

"By replacing Tranche 1 [the in-service version of the Typhoons], which is obsolete and susceptible to repairs, we are increasing the operational readiness of the Eurofighter fleet and thus our reliability in the NATO alliance", Gerhartz told reporters earlier this week. He spoke as a Luftwaffe spokesperson said in a statement that the country's air force will now have a multi-role warplane which can be used both against enemy aircraft and targets on the ground. The spokesperson added that the Typhoon's advanced modification would mean "a huge technological step forward in digitalization," Germany plans to have at least 93 Eurofighter jets.