Tri-National Government Agency

The three core nations Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom in order to facilitate tri-national procurement of the Tornado, agreed to seek NATO status for the project. The NATO charter for the Multi Role Combat Aircraft Development and Production Management Agency (NAMMO) was granted on 12th August 1969. This established NAMMO as a subsidiary body within the framework of NATO and bestowed upon it ‘’the juridical personality possessed by NATO’’ providing it with both a legal status and authority to conclude contracts and international agreements on behalf of the participating nations.

Provision was made for delegation of authority to a Board of Directors and through them to the NATO MRCA Management Agency (NAMMA) originally co-locating with Panavia in Munich. All NAMMA staff were to be provided by the three countries and were to have the grades, staff rules and conditions of NATO personnel. On the inception of the Eurofighter project in the mid 1980s, the agency was enhanced and amended to accommodate the new aircraft, and became NETMA, the NATO Eurofighter Tornado Management Agency.