Deputy Defense Minister Stephane Beemelmans told the parliamentary defense committee that the last 37 jets had been cancelled, the source said.

The cancellation means Airbus Group, which makes the Eurofighter, will miss out on business. In 2011 the cost of a single Eurofighter in the first shipment of jets was put at 57 million euros.

Originally, the German military wanted 180 Eurofighters but there has never been a decision or a contract for the final tranche.

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold)