The four Eurofighter partner nations are working towards conclusion of a fixed price order for 148 aircraft in the third quarter of this year, with an announcement likely to be timed to coincide with the Farnborough air show in September.
The fixed price order follows on from the production umbrella contract for a total of 620 firm orders and 90 options for the EF2000 signed by Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK at the end of January.
As well as concluding the first fixed price order, Brian Phillipson, managing director of Eurofighter, says that the four respective air forces are in the process of finalising their own approaches to logistics and support of the aircraft. "There is the option of either the air force or industry supporting the aircraft. The respective air forces are going through this decision- making process," he says
Phillipson believes that the EF2000 will see at least some of the air forces considerably increase the amount of industry support within what is effectively a two-tier system. "Some are going to go for significant industrial support of the aircraft-the choice is going to be made over the next few months," he says.
Aloysius Rauen, chairman of the Eurofighter management board, and president of Daimler-Benz Aerospace (Dasa) Military Aircraft, reveals that one of the development aircraft is to go to Norway in early June for evaluation trials by the country's air force. Dasa is the lead EF2000 partner in marketing the aircraft to Norway.
The EF2000 is in competition with the Lockheed Martin Block 60 F-16. In the wake of the decision by the United Arab Emirates to procure the Block 60 instead of the EF2000, the Norwegian air force competition takes on even greater significance.
Phillipson says: "In Norway we will price the aircraft to win."
Norway is looking for 30-40 new aircraft to replace its Northrop F-5s. A decision is likely to be made during 1999.
Source: Flight International
