JULIAN MOXON / LONDON & STEPHEN TRIMBLE / WASHINGTON DC
Flight testing of all Eurofighter Typhoons has been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation into a braking problem which occurred on a German test aircraft on 9 October.
Eurofighter says the problem centres on a braking system component that was identified after a cockpit warning light came on during landing. The pilot deployed the braking parachute to slow the aircraft, but was able to use the brakes to bring it to a final halt.
The suspension came as the Royal Air Force was due to take delivery of its first production Typhoon, on 17 October. This will be delayed until all eight series production aircraft and three flight-test aircraft have been checked for the same fault. As Flight International went to press, Eurofighter was unable to say when the Typhoons would be returned to flying status.
Meanwhile, the US Air Force is investigating an apparent temporary loss of control of a Lockheed Martin/Boeing F/A-22 during a flight test on 19 September. The USAF says the pilot's manoeuvring produced an "unintended effect" in flight, understood to have left the F/A-22 "at a lower altitude than planned". It adds that the safety investigation is "looking primarily at the human actions aspect". The aircraft was returned to flight after an initial assessment found no anomalies with it.
Source: Flight International
