Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH
The defence ministers of the four Eurofighter partner nations were due to meet in Bonn on the morning of 22 December to sign the long-awaited production investment and production memoranda of understanding (MoUs).
The signature of the MoU has been made possible by the go-ahead from Italian parliamentary committees on 9 December. The Italian Government had been waiting for Germany to make a firm commitment before following suit; Germany's parliament cleared the start of production in its defence budget vote on 26 November.
The MoU was to be followed, possibly on the same day, by the signature of four production contracts between the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA)and the Eurofighter and Eurojet companies.
Eurofighter managing director Brian Phillipson says that the contracts will be signed within five weeks. The signature of the contracts is subject to approval by the NETMA steering committee.
"The contracts are basically ready, and they have been out for approval by the nations for some time," says Phillipson. Four initial contracts are due to be signed: the production umbrella contract, laying out overall terms and conditions for the production programme, and including a commitment for 620 aircraft, plus options for a further 90; Production Supplement 1, a fixed-price contract for production investment; the Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) framework contract; and ILS Procurement Contract 1, covering the procurement of services, technical publications and ground equipment to support the aircraft.
Eurofighter 2000 development aircraft DA7 has now been used for the type's first missile launch, when an AIM-9L Sidewinder was successfully fired on 15 December. A successful series of firing tests on the ground had already been conducted, and is now on detachment to Decimomanu in Sardinia for the airborne launch tests.
Hughes AIM-120 AMRAAM release trials are due to follow shortly, says Phillipson.
The DA2 has been fitted with a spin-recovery parachute system for carefree handling trials with the latest release of the aircraft's digital flight-control system (DFCS). Some 25 flights in this programme have been flown to date, including nine successful flights in a three-day period, which the manufacturer says is generating a high level of confidence in the DFCS software.
The same aircraft has also carried out ground refuelling trials with an RAF Lockheed Tristar tanker, with in-flight refuelling trials due to be held before the year's end. The Turbo-Union RB199-122-powered DA2 will eventually be refitted with Eurojet EJ200 engines, and this is already being done with DA1, which is also undergoing an upgrade to its avionics system.
The DA3 has completed initial flights with 1,000litre underwing fuel tanks, and has also been cleared to carry underwing camera pods, needed for weapons trials.
Source: Flight International