Eurofighter Typhoon will have a fairly low profile at the show, but the aircraft continues to rack up milestones as it enters operational service.
The Eurofighter fleet in the four partner air forces – Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK – surpassed the 5,000 flying hour mark early this month and the services plan to go operational with armed aircraft flying in 2006. The Italian air force will be first, fielding Quick Reaction Aircraft at the beginning of next year.
Assembly of the first production standard multirole Tranche 2 Typhoon has started at BAE Systems Samlesbury in northwest England. The Tranche 2 aircraft will provide the customer air forces with improved operational performance, including a full air-to-surface capability.
Assembly
Gary Hodkinson, product manager for Typhoon at BAE Systems, says that eight Tranche 2 aircraft are expected to be in assembly by the end of the year. By that time, production rates should have risen to four a month.
UK Royal Air Force aircraft are to get an ‘austere’ air-to-ground capability before the arrival of the RAF’s Tranche 2 aircraft with the recent announcement that it is to acquire 20 Rafael Litening III targeting and navigation pods for its Typhoon F1 fighters. The new equipment will allow Typhoons to self-designate targets with laser- or GPS-guided bombs.
There are more than 50 aircraft already in service and deliveries to the first export customer, Austria, are scheduled to start next year. Saudi Arabia remains a major sales prospect, with the partners hoping to provide a follow-on to the kingdom’s existing main strike aircraft, the Panavia Tornado.
Orders for the type total 638, with 90 options.
ALAN DRON
Source: Flight Daily News
