Austria has selected the Eurofighter Typhoon as its new fighter and will enter into exclusive talks with the European EADS group. The Austrians will buy 24 Typhoons for $1.7 billion, and want EADs to deliver the first six planes by late Spring 2003 so they can be operational by mid-summer. The Austrians want all 24 planes as soon as they can get them, but want to stretch payments into 2009 by leasing some of the planes and making other creative arrangements. The government had wanted to buy used F-16s from Belgium but the Austrian Air Force insisted on new aircraft that it could keep in service for more than 30 years.--Stephen V Cole