STEWART PENNEY / HALLBERGMOOS
Ex-Alenia chief operating officer brings weight to bear in steering multirole fighter to certification and first delivery
In September last year, Filippo Bagnato took over as chief executive of Eurofighter, marking the start of the company's transformation from a co-ordinating organisation doing the bidding of its four partner companies to that of a prime contractor.
As Eurofighter chief executive, Bagnato has been responsible for managing this fundamental metamorphosis of the Hallbergmoos, southern Germany-based company. His arrival from Alenia came towards the end of a year that was not a good one for Eurofighter, the company or the programme. Issues related to the build of the early aircraft's composite fins and other problems meant the aircraft missed its 2002 in-service date. By the end of the year a prototype had also crashed.
Now, nine months into Bagnato's tenure, Eurofighter is striving to ensure that the multirole fighter receives type acceptance, or certification, and hopes it will be in time to allow delivery of the first aircraft at the end of June.
Bagnato acknowledges that revamping the company at this crucial stage is not easy, but says: "[We] have decided to progressively change the organisation in a period when we have started all the type acceptance activity, and you know how important type acceptance is in the life of an aircraft."
Certification is undoubtedly complicated as four governments - Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK - are involved, managing the programme through NETMA, while Eurofighter controls the technical work of the four Eurofighter partner companies (EPC) - Alenia, BAE Systems, EADS Casa and EADS Deutschland. "Fortunately, this complexity was recognised, and reflected in the Eurofighter contract," says Bagnato.
"It is evident that the effort we are making to move the [company's] centre of gravity from a co-ordinating role to a prime contractor role is supported by the partner companies. We have started, but not finished," he adds.
As Eurofighter changes, it is "important too that the customer progressively works to speed up the decision-making process", says Bagnato. One of the key criticisms of the programme, from its earliest days, has been the time taken to make decisions and achieve consensus between the four nations. It "needs a little bit of a joint effort to reduce the number of interfaces and reduce the number of authorities required by government". Eurofighter is not purely a development programme any more as around 30 aircraft are in final assembly and some are awaiting delivery. "We need to invest in speeding up the decision-making process," he says.
Eurofighter International, the export sales and marketing organisation created by the EPCs, has been absorbed into Eurofighter at its headquarters. This "is a good move" as it has quickened response times, Bagnato says.
Another area to see significant changes is engineering, where the co-ordination role has been replaced by a "cluster approach" with the EPCs reporting direct to Eurofighter's technical director. "This is a significant change," says Bagnato, adding that "now the technical area is a joint effort coming out of the centre".
Changing the technical way of working "is evidently the trigger to drive the rest of the organisation. Behind them the rest of the organisation will follow," he adds.
Before the changes in Eurofighter's set-up, it was no secret that there was an uneasy relationship between the EPCs, particularly the German and UK members. Bagnato says: "The fact is that the partner companies have a common goal - service entry." He adds: "The success of the programme is taken seriously by all in the programme, it is fundamental for the future success not just of the four partner companies, but the European aerospace industry." Bagnato continues: "When you have clear objectives, particularly after a period of difficulties, there is a change in priorities and this is helping me."
Having been Alenia Aeronautica chief operating officer, Bagnato is a more senior industry leader than previous Eurofighter company heads. This, he says, has given him "a daily relationship with the top of these [partner] companies. They are helping me very much."
He acknowledges that each company has its "specific interests", but "we have enough experience to ensure a common goal and one specific interest, which is Eurofighter".
As well as preparing for service entry, Eurofighter, the EPCs, NETMA and the four governments are also defining the Tranche 2 production standard. "We're in the middle of discussions, we know what will be in the aircraft, and commercial discussions are in progress." A Tranche 2 contract is due to be signed by year-end, with these aircraft due to deliver Eurofighter's promised full multirole capability. Bagnato says: "I hope that this autumn we will be able to close the contract."
Timing, however, "is not a detail, it is fundamental", he warns. "Tranche 1 is running," and it is crucial that the start of Tranche 2 production is not delayed because the contract is signed too late. "The effort we're doing with the government is to avoid disruption, or affect the continuity of the programme. Disruption is a negative standpoint for industry, government, and from the technical and skills dilution areas," says Bagnato.
Fortunately, he says, "Eurofighter and the nations have same priority to achieve the goal".
Source: Flight International
