STEWART PENNEY / LONDON
Contracts are being finalised that will put in place the in-service support for the four nation combat aircraft
Crucial contracts are poised for signature by Eurofighter and the partner-nation management agency within the next few months, preparing the ground for the in-service support of the fighter.
First to be signed will be the DM1.85 billion ($808 million) Eurofighter Industrial Exchange & Repair Service (IERS) deal that will create the industrial support network for the fighter. Massimo Tarantola, Eurofighter support phase director, says the deal should be signed on 5 July and that companies have been selected to provide crucial elements of the system.
Initially, IERS will run from June 2002, when the first fighter is due to be handed over to the UK Royal Air Force, until December 2005.
Eurofighter's support concept will mix air force and industrial elements. Much of the industrial support will be "hole-in-the-wall" with the operator passing unserviceable components to industry and receiving a new item in return. Industry will also provide fixed-time turnaround of equipment.
Eurofighter will manage the system that tracks the spares and the transportation infrastructure. BAE Systems will provide the former while Italian company Zust Ambrojetti is to supply the transportation, says Tarantola.
To reduce costs the four nations have agreed to a similar mix of air force and industrial support, but this may change over time. Spain is known to favour a larger air force capability, while Germany is intent on two level maintenance, with the air force performing only flight line support.
Following the conclusion of the IERS deal, two contracts - PC8 and PC11 - for the International Weapons System Support System (IWSSS) will be negotiated. IWSSS will develop in-service modifications and track the status of each aircraft allowing a common standard to be maintained across the fleets. IWSSS is to be supported by four national support centres that will be networked to the centre. Tarantola says Eurojet - supplier of the Eurofighter powerplant - has agreed to join the system.
A PC8 quotation was submitted last month and it is planned to sign a contract by late December, although Tarantola acknowledges that this may slip into the early part of next year because of the size and complexity of the IWSSS.
PC11 has less non-recurring cost so the quote will not be delivered until the end of this year with the intention of having a contract in place at around the time of the first Eurofighter delivery.
Source: Flight International
