THE FINAL COCKPIT layout for the Eurofighter EF2000 is close to being signed off. The last customer assessment has been concluded by the industrial partners, with "...no outstanding issues to be addressed".

The direct-voice-input (DVI) element of the cockpit has proved to be popular with air force pilots who have tested it.

A considerable amount of work has gone into simplifying the DVI vocabulary, which has been cut from 600 words to fewer than 100.

The DVI will, for instance, allow the pilot to carry out a beyond-visual range air-to-air missile engagement by voice command only until the physical launch of the missile.

Source: Flight International