Eurofighter Typhoon heads for Aero India 2007

Bangalore: The Eurofighter GmbH consortium has announced its intention to have a strong presence at the Aero India 2007 show at Bangalore. Eurofighter GmbH said that it will be participating in the event along with venture partner, Eurojet.

Eurofighter Typhoon is the product of a European joint venture, with four participating partner nations, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom agreeing to replace various aircraft types with the multi-role/swing-role aircraft.

The programme brings together European aerospace giants like BAE Systems, Alenia Finmeccanica and EADS, who are also shareholders in the programme. The Eurofighter is Europe's largest collaborative programme and will effectively lead to the replacement of 11 types of aircraft. The programme already has 620 aircraft placed on order for the four nations, plus 18 for Austria, with options for a further 90.

According to Eurofighter GmbH CEO, Aloysius Rauen, even as the fighter moves towards developing a full swing-role capability, it will continue to "distance itself from the competition on a number of levels." A swing-role capability allows a pilot to reconfigure a aircraft's systems in-flight, so that it can operate in more than one role during the same mission.

The consortium has already delivered more than 110 aircraft to the air forces of the four countries, which together have amassed more than 14,000 flight hours, operating through seven squadrons of the various air forces.

As of now, the Typhoon is fully air-to-air capable and armed with the latest versions of the advanced medium range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs), including the C5 version in the case of UKs Royal Air Force. It will also carry two new generation short range air-to-air missiles - the UKs advanced short range air-to-air missiles (ASRAAMs) as well the IRIS-T (infra red imaging system - tail/thrust vector control) version.

According to Rauen, the Typhoon's air-to-surface capabilities are being progressively upgraded, with handling trials currently underway. Successful flight and firing tests have been carried out with laser guided bombs, as well as the Paveway II and GBU-16 bombs. Flight tests are also under way with a laser designated pod. According to Rauen, full operational capability (FOC) with the system will be available with the Block 5 series of fighters, which are due for induction in the coming weeks.

Eurojet
The EJ200 engine, that will power the Eurofighter Typhoon, is the largest military engine programme under contract in the world today, and is slated to produce more than 1400 units. Hartmut J. Tenter, managing director, Eurojet, says that in-service experience with the four core nations of Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK "…has demonstrated excellent engine results. All pilots who have flown the Eurofighter are impressed by the superior levels of performance of the EJ200 engine. Compared to other engines in the same class, the EJ200 delivers an outstanding thrust-to-weight ratio and specific fuel consumption."

According to Tenter, unprecedented performance, multi-mission capability and reliability, along with a wide range of integrated logistic engine support concepts, make the EJ200 the best choice for next generation combat and trainer aircraft.

India and the MRCA
Talking about the Typhoon's relevance with respect to India's air defence needs, Aloysius Rauen says that the Typhoon provides "…operational capability, (as well as) national security, technology and industrial partnerships for tomorrow and for decades to come." Based on such a perception, Rauen says that "…the Eurofighter Typhoon is the optimum solution for the air defence needs of India and the best candidate in the up-coming procurement programme for next generation multi-role fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force."

The Eurofighter consortium will have a unique Cockpit Demonstrator, with fully integrated air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities, on display at the Eurofighter stand at Yelahanka in Hall C, Stand C4/6. Air Force and industry pilots will be on hand to present first hand information regarding the aircraft's capabilities for industry  professionals as well as the public. Also on display at the Eurofighter stand shall be the EJ200 engine and the electronic scanning radar developed by the Euroradar consortium, which will soon undergo test flights.

The consortium has scheduled a press briefing on 7 February at 1400 in Hall 1 of the press centre.