Several EADS offices in Germany were raided by state prosecutors on Tuesday as part of an investigation into alleged bribes between 2005 and 2008 to smooth the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon jets to Austria five years ago.

The raids deepen the legal troubles of the European aerospace group, which already faces a criminal inquiry by Britain's Serious Fraud Office into whether its British subsidiary, GPT Special Projects, bribed Saudi officials over a project to supply the kingdom with military communications equipment.

The Munich prosecutor's office said the investigation had been prompted by a larger one taking place in Austria. - Copyright: The Financial Times Limited 2012