Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya met on Wednesday with the Regional Director of Leonardo to discuss areas of joint cooperation, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The meeting took place at the Ministry’s Headquarters and focused on strengthening cooperation between Kuwait and the Italian aerospace and defence company, according to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

The meeting comes as cooperation between Kuwait and Leonardo continues under existing defence agreements. In October 2025, the Ministry of Defence decided to extend in-service support for the Kuwait Air Force’s Eurofighter aircraft programme, for which Leonardo is the main contractor.

Under the new contract, logistics support and training are being provided locally by Leonardo Aviation Services at Salem Al Sabah Air Base until December 2029. Kuwait ordered 28 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft in 2016 to strengthen its air defence system.

Deliveries began at the end of 2021 (photo), and most of the aircraft have now been delivered and are in service. The jets are manufactured in Italy and use the latest production standards.

Leonardo Aviation Services, a Kuwaiti company, supports the Kuwait Air Force by providing maintenance, repair and training services for both air and ground crews. The company also supports pilot and technician training in Kuwait and Italy, helping ensure crews can operate the Eurofighters at full capability. During the aircraft acquisition stage, the “Eurofighter Town” was built at Salem Al Sabah Air Base, creating a hub for training and maintenance that strengthens the Air Force’s local operational capacity.

“The support activities carried out in Kuwait will allow to maximize the high level of capability delivered by the Eurofighter Typhoons to meet the national air defence requirements,” Leonardo said in a press release at the time.

Supplying comprehensive support solutions is core to Leonardo’s global strategy to properly enable the most efficient and effective operations of its technologies through advanced tailored services and proximity.

The Eurofighter programme is managed by the Eurofighter GmbH consortium, a company based in Munich owned by Leonardo, BAE Systems and Airbus Defense & Space for Germany and Spain. On the government side, the programme is managed by the NATO Eurofighter & Tornado Management Agency (NETMA), which was set up to meet the procurement needs of the air forces from the four participating countries: Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain.

In addition to the four partner countries, which have already ordered 510 Typhoons, international customers now include Saudi Arabia (72 aircraft), Austria (15), Oman (12), Kuwait (28) and Qatar (24), a total of 661 ordered planes. (Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; KUNA; Agencies; File Photo: Kuwaiti Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoon Aircraft © Leonardo)