The Eurofighter consortium has pulled out of tenders in Norway and Denmark for more than 100 fighter jets, complaining that it is “ill at ease” with changes in the procurement process.

Eurofighter’s “suspension” of its participation is an embarrassment for Norway and Denmark, but it also reflects the fact that it was losing ground in both tenders, which have become a dogfight between Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and Saab’s Gripen.