The German air force only has four Eurofighter jets which could be deployed in the event of an emergency, meaning the country cannot fulfil its Nato obligations, Spiegel reported on Wednesday.
A damaged Eurofighter plane being pulled by a truck along the autobahn was so wide that it blocked three lanes of traffic on its way to being repaired in Bavaria on Thursday, drawing the ire of fellow drivers.
Germany is ready to provide military assistance to the three Baltic nations, all former Soviet republics, as part of NATO efforts to counter fears over Moscow's swift absorption of Crimea, Der Spiegel reported.
Civil servants at Germany's defence ministry signed off a €55 million payoff as part of the Eurofighter project without asking parliament for permission, or checking with their boss, it emerged on Wednesday.
German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg on Thursday said he intended to take a training flight in a Eurofighter jet this year. He justified his plan by saying he may one day have to authorize a mission using the attack aircraft.
Germany has grounded all 55 of its Eurofighter combat aircraft indefinitely because of an ejector seat problem, following a fatal accident in Spain, a Defence Ministry spokesman said.
Germany and three other European countries have signed a contract for the delivery of 112 Eurofighter aircraft worth around €9 billion ($13 billion), the defence ministry said on Friday.
