Jorge started his career at Airbus (then EADS), before progressing to hold several international executive roles at Airbus Defence & Space.
In this exclusive interview, he sets out his priorities for the programme, shares the lessons he's bringing from previous major industrial campaigns, and explains why now is the time for Eurofighter.
Q: You take the helm at a crucial time for European defence. What are your top priorities as CEO in the near term?
A: We are living a unique moment in history, and Eurofighter has a clear role to play. In the current geopolitical context, the programme supports technological and industrial sovereignty for our partner nations. It provides them with priceless freedom of action and delivers essential air power capabilities.
That responsibility is huge. If we look at the intent behind initiatives like Readiness 2030 (to rearm Europe), we have a duty to support four key principles: closing technological and industrial capability gaps, reinforcing the European defence industry, simplifying regulations, and enhancing European readiness for worst-case scenarios.
Translating that into our own reality, our top priorities are accelerating the production system, regaining control of the supply chain, speeding up obsolescence management, streamlining airworthiness processes, recovering momentum in development programmes — and being ready to capture future opportunities.
This is what Europe needs and what Eurofighter will deliver.
Q: Eurofighter has recently secured new orders from Spain and Italy. How do you see the platform continuing to attract interest and what’s your view of the realistic market opportunities?
A: Geopolitics are driving a paradigm shift in Europe’s approach to defence, and we see this fostering a return to sovereignty. That is the core value of Eurofighter. It’s why we believe there is potential for the business volume to double, even triple, in the coming years.
But it’s not a given. We need to restore our competitiveness. We operate in a highly competitive space, and our focus is on ensuring Eurofighter stays ahead in capability, delivery and value.
If we tackle that properly, I believe we’ll see further orders from our core nations — including Germany — as well as the continuation of key programmes like P4E and Long Term Evolution (LTE).
On the export side, there are real opportunities: with potential new markets such as Turkey, and large follow-on campaigns with trusted partners like Saudi Arabia. However, this is a very tough competitive environment and we need to rise to that challenge.
Q: Given your experience leading major programmes like the Airbus C295 India initiative, what lessons do you bring to Eurofighter’s strategy?
A: One key lesson is the ripple effect. Our actions today impact the broader defence ecosystem in Europe. That’s why we must be focused on delivery performance. We are delivering not just aircraft; we are delivering security for the next generations.
Another big takeaway is that we must be faster. Much faster. We need to do things differently if we want to increase speed and sustain high delivery performance. That means reindustrialising solutions instead of redeveloping everything from scratch. For example, we can rethink how we approach obsolescence. We can use digital technologies to modernise the production system. And we can significantly accelerate our qualification and certification processes.
Put simply: Europe needs us to be faster — and we can be.
Q: Are there any upcoming capability enhancements for the Eurofighter that you are particularly excited about?
A: The integration of ESCAN is a real milestone. It is a challenge, yes, but also a game-changer for air combat. Combined with new weapons, sensors and communications, it positions Eurofighter at the forefront of air power.
For me, LTE is the true enabler as we head toward the sixth generation era. LTE must be seen as a mid-life upgrade that will ensure Eurofighter remains operationally relevant well into the future.
Q: What is Eurofighter’s contribution to sustaining European defence industrial capabilities?
A: Eurofighter is the leading example of European defence cooperation.
It’s the largest and most successful collaborative programme in this sector, and it remains the sovereign solution of choice.
We must ensure it continues to play that role for years to come, driving innovation, sustaining high-value jobs, and keeping Europe at the cutting edge of air power.
Q: How do you see Eurofighter evolving to meet the needs of the future battlespace, particularly with emerging threats in electronic warfare and AI-driven systems?
A: The battlefield is changing at an unprecedented pace. Technologies that were once limited to a handful of nations are now in the hands of a wider range of potential adversaries.
To keep pace, we need to integrate combat capabilities faster and take advantage of emerging technologies. The Eurofighter’s flight performance, communications, sensors, survivability and weapons must continue to evolve, especially in terms of collaborative combat with other systems, including unmanned platforms.
We’re placing strong emphasis on combat functionality distribution across systems, interoperability, and connectivity, including manned-unmanned teaming and the introduction of new tactical combat cloud capabilities.
Q: What role do you see Eurofighter playing in the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) era?
A: Eurofighter is the backbone of Europe’s air power and it will remain at the centre of FCAS operations until the arrival of the next-generation fighters. Those are not expected until 2035 or 2040, so Eurofighter is the natural bridge.
That means the platform must evolve, and LTE is essential to that evolution. It ensures continuity of capability and operational readiness during the transition to FCAS.
Q: Having been CEO for a few months now, what has surprised you the most about leading Eurofighter?
A: For me, it is the depth of passion and commitment across the team. I expected technical excellence, but what stood out was the belief in the mission. There’s real pride in what Eurofighter represents both as a capability and as a symbol of European cooperation. Harnessing that belief and making full use of the extraordinary experience built across the enterprise will be essential to our future success.
Q: What leadership philosophy guides your approach to managing such a high-stakes defence programme?
A: It comes down to two things: collaboration and accountability. Of course, delivery performance is critical, but it must be built on a foundation of trust and shared responsibility.
There’s a symbol I always come back to from Buddhist sculptures I saw in India. It shows a sceptre and a bell. The sceptre stands for method: structure, action, and accountability. The bell represents wisdom: listening, awareness, and collaboration. One without the other is incomplete.
As a leader, I try to balance both by creating an environment where teams are empowered to collaborate but also deliver with precision.
Q: What excites you most about the future of Eurofighter — and what message would you share with the teams across the consortium?
A: We are writing a new chapter in European aerospace and defence. We have a real opportunity to shape the future. These moments only come once in a lifetime.
My message is simple: let’s bring out the very best in all of us — and take Eurofighter to even greater heights.
Q: What’s ahead for you this year, and where can we expect to see Eurofighter on the global stage?
A: We’ll be highly visible, flying the flag at major events like FEINDEF, the Paris Air Show and Dubai Air Show. These are key moments to engage with partners and showcase Eurofighter’s evolving capability. And we’ll hit a huge milestone: one million flying hours. That moment captures the maturity and credibility of the platform — and the strength of the partnership behind it.