Alenia to deliver first Batch 2 production units this month as air force racks up flight hours on Tranche 1 models
The Italian air force will take delivery of its first single-seat Eurofighter Typhoon from Alenia Aeronautica this month, with the aircraft having flown for 65min on its debut flight from Turin Caselle airport in mid-December.
The handover will mark the receipt of Italy's first Batch 2 production aircraft from its Tranche 1 production order for 29Typhoons, with a further seven single-seat and one twin-seat aircraft to follow, says Alenia's Eurofighter programme manager Carlo Mancusi. The new standard of aircraft will be capable of using Raytheon AIM-9L Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAMair-to-air missiles and the onboard Mauser 27mm cannon, providing initial operational capability.
Italy's air force has now received all its Tranche 1, Batch 1 production aircraft, including five twin-seat Typhoons delivered to Grosseto air base to equip the first unit to receive the type. The 4th Fighter Wing comprises the 20 Group operational conversion unit and the 9 Group air defence squadron, which are now involved in a re-equipping process while the base receives infrastructure and support upgrades to accommodate the aircraft.
Around 100 Alenia personnel provide the air force with maintenance and logistics support for the Typhoon and training services for air force pilots and maintainers under the batch one support service (BOSS) programme, says Marco Baroero, the company's Eurofighter chief engineer. More than 50 personnel are now at Grosseto, which along with avionics engineers and engine technicians from Avio assure a set number of aircraft ready to fly every day.
Italian Typhoons have logged around 400 flight hours since the BOSS programme was launched last March, with their average availability rate exceeding contractual requirements by 30%, says Alenia. The agreement also covers the provision of pilot and maintainer training in Turin, including use of the Eurofighter engineering flight simulator and an aircrew cockpit procedure trainer. An operational aircraft is also kept at the site to support maintainer training, with this to be moved to Cameri air base to conduct similar tasks from later this year.
Alenia's team has so far trained 12 operational pilots, including eight instructors and two from the air force's test and evaluation unit. The BOSS programme is currently under contract until March 2006, with options in place to extend the training and service support agreement until 2007.
LUCA PERUZZI / TURIN
Source: Flight International
