Eurofighter Typhoon Block 2B ready

09 January 2006 – Eurofighter Typhoon continues to soar as 2006 takes off
Hallbergmoos – 9th January 2006: The Eurofighter Typhoon programme enters 2006 on the back of a series of reported successes towards the end of last year and the good news is set to continue through the New Year according to CEO Aloysius Rauen.

“As we enter 2006 we now have the aircraft in full operational service with the Surveillance of Aerial Spazio (SSSA), the organization responsible for monitoring and defending Italian air space. Two single-seat Eurofighter aircraft are now held in constant operational readiness to “scramble” should the order come. The aircraft, based at Grosseto in Northern Italy went operational on 16th December 2005.

“Also in December the Eurofighter team achieved the four nation type acceptance for the next functionality block of Eurofighter Typhoon known as Block 2B. Three aircraft with this enhanced standard were delivered to the customer in December bringing the production aircraft deliveries by the end of 2005 to 76 in total.

“We head into 2006 having achieved more than 10,000 flying hours so far by customer and industry aircraft.

“With each day that passes the capability of the aircraft develops making it ever more attractive to potential export customers. We hope to see the excellent levels of interest expressed by air forces worldwide increase as the programme moves forward. Further orders will enable us to build on the additional business already achieved with Austria, our first export customer and we continue working with our four nation governments and industries to ensure that this excellent product gains significant market share in the future. The capability of the aircraft and the innovative industrial technology programmes offered by our European industry partners make Eurofighter Typhoon the right choice for air forces, industries and governments worldwide,” he said.

According to that news article from eurofighter.com the Block 2B standard reached it’s four national type acceptance in december 2005, with the first 3 examples delivered later that month.
That are good news as I personally exspected first deliveries later in the first half of 2006. With the Block 2B standard the capabilities of Eurofighter Typhoon will be further enhanced.
According available informations the Block 2B standard features the PSP3 software. Additions include:
– FCS update which will open the full flight envelope
– additional radar modes
– initional PIRATE IR sensor, probably with only some modes
– STRIKER HMD/HMS
– further functions for DASS and added TRD
– Full MIDS
– full sensor fusion
– initional TRN

Take this list as “was planned”, I don’t know if all that features are really integrated, but the most of them should be in. With these features Eurofighter Typhoon is nearing the final configuration as often proposed in various brochures, but lacking the AG capabilities (especially integrated weapons).

The final Tranche 1 aircraft will be delivered in Block 5 configuration with PSP4 software from later that year. PSP4 will include the full systems with all their functions available as planned. Full PIRATE, STRIKER, DASS and Captor (with AG modes too), all autopilot functions, further FCS update for AG missions and TRN should be available for Block 5.