UK prepares three Typhoons for deployment to Asian republic, where six sorties will be flown to evaluate aircraft
BAE Systems is racing to prepare three of the UK Royal Air Force's first Eurofighter Typhoon multirole aircraft for a key deployment to support a campaign to export the European fighter to the Singapore armed forces.
The Typhoons are to be prepared for an evaluation by Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), with two of these to be deployed to the country from the middle of the year.
Singapore air force pilots are expected to fly around six sorties with the aircraft during the demonstration, which will build on an earlier six flights undertaken in the UK. BAE's Tranche 1, Block 2 Typhoon cockpit demonstrator will also be deployed to Singapore for the trial period. The device forms part of the company's Case White training and introduction into service, now under way at BAE's Warton site in Lancashire.
Key activities related to the Singapore deployment include accelerated airframe modifications and other planned enhancements to the Block 1 production aircraft, and preparing the fighter for inflight refuelling.
The latter is key to BAE's ability to deploy the aircraft to Singapore: this will be achieved in four "long hops" if the aircraft are cleared for air-to-air refuelling, but will require a 15-leg deployment if tanker support cannot be called on.
Pilots from the RAF's 17 Sqn operational evaluation unit will fly the aircraft to and from Singapore, but two BAEpilots will fly them during the evaluation with Singaporean personnel. The deployment will take place just months after the Typhoon formally entered service with the RAF last December.
The DSTA has already completed flight evaluations of the two other aircraft types shortlisted for the Singapore air force contest last October - Boeing's F-15E (Singapore is being offered the company's planned F-15T)and the Rafale promoted by French companies Dassault, Snecma and Thales. Singapore is expected to announce a decision late this year or during 2005, with an initial eight aircraft planned for delivery from 2008-9. The air force expects to buy 20-24 of the new aircraft to replace its current fleet of McDonnell Douglas A-4SUSkyhawks.
The Typhoon is the only purely single-seat design being promoted to Singapore, with the F-15T a twin-seater and the Rafale available in both single- and twin-seat configurations.
This could prove of "huge benefit to Singapore", both in capability terms and in reducing its pilot-training demands, says Archie Neill, BAE's entry into service manager for the Typhoon programme.
CRAIG HOYLE / WARTON
Source: Flight International
