Eurofighter Typhoon Single-Seat Production Aircraft Takes Flight

http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=124563

Eurofighter Typhoon Single-Seat Production Aircraft Takes Flight

HALLBERGMOOS, Germany, June 9 /PRNewswire/ —

– With picture

PS002, the fifth Eurofighter Typhoon Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA5), successfully carried out its first flight on 7 June 2004, at BAE SYSTEMS Warton, United Kingdom. IPA5 took off from Warton at 1602h, piloted by Typhoon Project Pilot, Mark Bowman, and landed at 1630h. This new Eurofighter Typhoon production test aircraft was assembled by BAE SYSTEMS on behalf of the Eurofighter partners and will now join the four nation flight test programme.

IPA5 is the first UK single seat production aircraft to roll off the final assembly line at the BAE SYSTEMS facility in Warton. IPA5 is primarily designed to qualify production standards and functionality in concert with single-seat production across the Eurofighter Partner Nations. IPA5 joins the test fleet of six Development Aircraft, three twin-seat Instrumented Production Aircraft and two single-seat Instrumented Production Aircraft. IPA4, the first single-seat Instrumented Production Aircraft flew on 26 February, 2004, at the EADS CASA flight test facility in Getafe, Spain.

Production and Functionality Qualification – Eurofighter Typhoon IPA5

– Single-seat fuel system

– Single-seat production cockpit lighting

– Single-seat structural health monitoring (SHM)

– Sensor Fusion

– Radar (Captor)

– Defensive Aids Sub System (DASS)

– Mission Assessment

– Carefree Handling

– Head Equipment Assembly (HEA)

Through a series of flight qualification tests Eurofighter Typhoon IPA5 will make a major contribution to finalising integration of the Full Operating Capability (FOC) standard avionics system for the production single-seat weapon system.

Commenting on events, Aloysius Rauen, Chief Executive Officer Eurofighter GmbH, said ‘This is a significant step for our programme as we transition to the next production phase for single-seat aircraft. In this phase we will deliver the Weapon System that will equip the frontline units of the four Eurofighter Typhoon Partner Nations.’

Images

High Resolution images of the Eurofighter Typhoon IPA5 can be downloaded from our web site. Hard Copy images are available on request.

A high resolution photograph is available to the media free of charge at http://www.newscast.co.uk (Tel: +44 (0)20 7608 1000)

http://www.eurofighter.com/medialibrary

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Eurofighter Typhoon is the world’s most advanced swing-role combat aircraft, developed by the leading aerospace companies, Alenia Aeronautica, BAE SYSTEMS, EADS Germany and EADS CASA, of the four partner countries, Italy, United Kingdom, Germany and Spain.

Agile and highly maneuverable, the twin-engine Eurofighter Typhoon is designed to operate from hastily prepared bases and small runways for worldwide operations. It is equipped with an advanced multi-mode radar and an extensive range of sensors and electronic countermeasures.

The aircraft’s ability to gain air superiority beyond visual range (BVR) and in close combat, and at the same time deliver high sortie rates against air, naval and ground targets in all weathers with a variety of weapons, demands close attention to pilot workload. In Eurofighter the pilot flies through use of a computerized flight control system, which offers full carefree handling.

A strong emphasis has been placed on reducing cost of ownership in addition to outstanding performance and flight safety. Eurofighter Typhoon is less expensive to run than the generation of aircraft it is designed to replace.

The Eurofighter partner nations plan to take delivery of 620 aircraft: 180 for Germany, 121 for Italy, 87 for Spain and 232 for the United Kingdom. An additional export order of 18 Eurofighter Typhoon has been agreed with the Government of Austria. Eurofighter has also been downselected in Singapore in a competition for a Future Fighter.

The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defense has agreed an industrial participation programme with Eurofighter GmbH for the future enhancement of the weapon system. Eurofighter Typhoon has also been selected by Greece to meet its respective requirements for a future fighter.

Following Type Acceptance on 30 June, 2003, Series Production Aircraft have now been delivered to each of the four nation air forces and entry into service training is proceeding. This follows first flights of three twin-seat Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA) in April 2002, and first flight of a single-seat Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA4) on 26 February 2004.

Distributed by PR Newswire on behalf of Eurofighter GmbH