CRAIG HOYLE / LINKOPING
Four aircraft types under assessment in Eurotraining feasibility study to end in March
The 12 partner nations involved in the Advanced European Jet Pilot Training (AEJPT), or Eurotraining initiative, have approved a two-month extension to the project's current feasibility study phase, which will now conclude in March.
Four aircraft types are being assessed during the collaborative project's current €8 million ($9.9 million) study activity: a new single-engine high subsonic design proposed by France's Dassault Aviation; Aermacchi of Italy's M346 twin-engined transonic jet; EADS's single-engined transonic Mako high-energy advanced trainer; and the Mako single-engined supersonic design.
The partner nations will assess the suitability of these platforms during a subsequent assessment phase, which is expected to last between three and six months.
The joint project committee could look at additional aircraft designs during a future phase, according to Saab. These could include BAE Systems' Hawk and the Korea Aerospace Industries/ Lockheed Martin T-50 Golden Eagle. Saab does not rule out the possibility of promoting a trainer variant of its Gripen multirole fighter to meet the emerging European requirement. This would lack the strike aircraft's weapons capability, radar and electronic warfare equipment, and feature a downrated engine, Saab says.
Industry sources suggest the Eurotraining capability will achieve an in-service date of 2012-13; later than the 2010 originally envisaged. To be located at up to three operating bases across Europe, the system will initially address advanced and tactical lead-in fighter needs. It could, however, also cover some elements of basic flying training, and seek to take some training demands away from the partner nations' operational conversion units. The training facilities also could be linked via a wide area network to boost collaborative training, says Saab.
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland are all signatories to the Eurotraining memorandum of understanding. Central and eastern European NATO states could join later, says Saab. Saab is part of a G5 Eurotraining industrial consortium, along with Aermacchi, Dassault, EADS Casa and EADS Deutschland. The companies are supported by avionics, propulsion and simulation subgroups, and by Pilatus of Switzerland.
Source: Flight International
