Eurofighter World 2011-3 by avia lduo

PROGRAMME NEWS & FEATURES 3/2011

 TYPHOON FLEET EFFECTIVENESS ON OPERATIONS  SUSTAINING AND DEPLOYING TYPHOON

www.eurofighter.com

LIBYA OPERATIONS: Combat Ready Eurofighter Typhoon: the most advanced new generation multi-role combat aircraft available on the market. With an established technology insertion programme, the Eurofighter Typhoon has supremacy over all current and evolving threats and is fully interoperable with NATO and International air forces.

nothing comes close

NOTHING COMES CLOSE

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

EDITORIAL

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

CONTENTS 11 Enzo Casolini CEO Eurofighter GmbH

14 SUSTAINING AND DEPLOYING THE EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON

EDITORIAL FROM ENZO CASOLINI, CEO EUROFIGHTER GMBH

EUROFIGHTER NEWS

TYPHOON FLEET EFFECTIVENESS ON OPERATIONS

WHY “NOTHING COMES CLOSE” TO THE EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON

EUROFIGHTER AMATEUR PHOTO COMPETITION PICKS A WINNER

SUSTAINING AND DEPLOYING THE EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON

EVOLUTION OF SCENARIO AND FIGHTER CAPABILITY

AIR SHOWS PROVIDE A CHANCE FOR TYPHOON TO SHINE

TAKING THE WORLD-LEADING COMBAT ENGINE INTO GLOBAL PRODUCTION

Eurofighter World is published by Eurofighter GmbH, PR & Communications Am Söldnermoos 17, 85399 Hallbergmoos Tel: +49 (0) 811-80 1587 communications@eurofighter.com Editorial Team Marco Valerio Bonelli Kathryn Holm Martina Schmidmeir Contributers Oreste Fabbro, Eurofighter Lars Joergensen, Eurofighter Alexander Hayton BAE Systems Jamie Plummer Royal Air Force Nat Makepeace Photography Eurofighter GmbH Eurofighter Partner Companies Geoffrey Lee, Planefocus Italian Air Force German Air Force Royal Air Force Frederic Lert Bundesheer/Markus Zinner Bryan Walsh Katsuhiko Tokunaga EUROJET Turbo GmbH Design & Production images.art.design. Werbeagentur GmbH www.iad-design.de Printed by ESTA Druck GmbH www.esta-druck.de Eurofighter World on the Internet www.eurofighter.com Follow us on:

If you would like to request additional copies of Eurofighter World, please contact the PR & Communications Department at Eurofighter GmbH communications@eurofighter.com October 2011

Title: Royal Air Force Typhoon with full Air-toGround configuration on its way to Libya. Photography: Frederic Lert

EDITORIAL

THE WINNER Over the summer of 2011, Eurofighter enjoyed unprecedented support from our partner and export nations on a variety of occasions which we at Eurofighter are extremely grateful for. Here I would like to take the opportunity to explain to our readers a little of these details. The Royal Air Force, who in light of blows they have faced in the past year, including budget and staff cuts and the planned closure of the air base in Leuchars, has been proving what a fantastic asset the Typhoon is to the UK and NATO. Operational in short time scales, with Typhoon in combat missions for the first time, the RAF and MoD have been extremely cooperative in supporting our export campaigns despite the increasing demands on their resources. At the Paris Air Show in June, Sqn. Ldr. Rupert Joel opened the show with a key briefing on Libya operations, providing the media with an insight into the challenges and successes of the deployment to date. This was followed by a further briefing at RIAT air show which was incredibly beneficial for the programme. A summary of operations in Libya, provided by the RAF, can be found inside the magazine. Also at Paris air show, the Italian Air Force provided two of their operational aircraft for static and air displays, giving the public and VIPs the chance to see our aircraft in action and up-close outside the pavilion. All this on top of their responsibilities as part of operation Odyssey Dawn where the Typhoons of Aeronautica Militare were flying out of Trapani air base to protect the skies over Libya. The Austrian Air Force was pivotal in the success of Zeltweg Air Show in July which saw a return to a traditional air show format. Pure entertainment was provided by a variety of classic and modern aircraft on display for some 200,000 people attending. In addition, the Royal Saudi Air Force worked closely with

the Austrian Air Force to support the event as well as the Eurofighter media tour which was held at the air base the day before the show. The Saudi Typhoon’s were seen in their public debut and it was the first time that our two export customers have worked together, doing so in spectacular form. The German government has been supportive in the fundamental MMRCA campaign in India, as well as sending jets to Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland to name a few, participating in air shows that are important for campaigns in which Eurofighter are participating. Many of these events have been attended by ministers, air force chiefs and other decision makers, not forgetting hundreds of thousands of aviation enthusiasts and general public that now have a better understanding of what Eurofighter means and what Eurofighter can offer to their nation. Finally, the Spanish Air Force has been incredibly generous and cooperative as we further develop the aircraft for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. By allowing us to perform extensive testing on their Instrumented Series Production Aircraft ISPA3, we have been able to swiftly progress the changes, which due to their flexibility, were carried out during the normally quiet summer months. Team work, cooperation and flexibility have been evident across all our customer nations which has been incredibly valuable to the programme, so this is a big thank you to our partners and customers from not only myself, but on behalf of everyone at Eurofighter. This edition of Eurofighter World will look at some of the above as we review Typhoon’s air show and exhibition activities from over the summer months. In addition and most importantly, we will address why ‘Nothing Comes Close’ to the Eurofighter Typhoon. Enjoy the issue

Enzo Casolini CEO Eurofighter GmbH

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

LIBYA MISSION MARKS 1,000 OPERATIONAL HOURS FOR RAF TYPHOON´S PILOT

JAGDGESCHWADER 74 CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY  The Luftwaffe Jagdgeschwader 74 celebrated its jubilee on 9th of June with an open day for visitors at its home at Neuburg Air Base in Southern Germany. The array of attractions included an impressive total of 11 Eurofighters from three Luftwaffe Wings and from the Austrian Air Force who put on a display during the dedicated air show. The base also hosted visiting aircraft and helicopters from the Czech Republic, France, Switzerland, Belgium and Austria. A Eurofighter full scale replica and a full operational

OSTRAVA: AN AIR SHOW THE CZECH WAY  Ostrava, Czech Republic, NATO Days, 140,000 spectators; Main Battle Tanks and Self Propelled guns firing high calibre rounds; combined forces with helicopters, Armoured Personnel Carriers as well as aerobatic teams from Turkey and Lithuania; B-52 strategic bombers; various transports and fighters from several NATO nations; two AWACS and, of course, four Eurofighters. Mix everything together with a helping of wonderful clear sky and you have the 2011 edition of the Ostrava Airshow, a well organised event in the Moravian-Silesian town close to the Polish border. Two Italian Air Force Typhoons from Grosseto, one Neuburg based JG74 and an Austrian Air Force Eurofighter were present at the show. The first three were on ground display whilst the Austrian Typhoon came directly from its nearby base in Zeltweg for the air display. In the Czech Republic, Eurofighter is promoting the Typhoon to replace the Saab Gripen, which is today in service with a leasing agreement that will expire in 2015. Eurofighter for the Czech Republic is particularly attractive as it offers the opportunity to use the extensive Eurofighter network of air bases and industrial plants available in Central Europe. Being a few hundred kilometres from the Czech Republic borders, can help to reduce the operational cost of the aircraft thanks to Integrated logistics support and Joint training.

simulator offered the crowd a possibility to sit in the aircraft’s cockpit where visitors were not deterred by the long queues. The main attraction was undoubtedly the flight displays, of which during the first display, an air force exercise with four Eurofighter Typhoons, two Phantoms, a Transall, two helicopters, several Tornadoes from the Luftwaffe and even an E-3A AWACS demonstrated a complex scenario involving a combat search and rescue of a friendly pilot. In the second display, an Austrian pilot from

Zeltweg Air Base showed the impressive strength and agility of the Typhoon. And finally, an exclusively painted JG 74 Eurofighter, accompanied by three other aircraft from the Wing, made a formation display over the base. Also there to mark the anniversary were a F-86K, Phantom F-4F, a newly restored F-104 Starfighter and the famous, flying Messerschmitt Me 109 and Me 262 belonging to EADS.

AESA RADAR CONFIRMED ENTRY IN SERVICE IN 2015  After one year of industry funding, the Eurofighter and Euroradar consortia received renewed strong support from the Partner Nations in June when they agreed to continue the full scale development programme of the next generation E-Scan radar, confirming the 2015 entry into service date. Supported by the Eurofighter partner nations, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and Spain, Eurofighter GmbH and Euroradar began full scale development of the new CAPTOR-E radar in July 2010. The new radar will have AESA capability that far exceeds any other radar available today and in the foreseeable future. It will be developed to satisfy the requirements of the Partner Nations and customers across the globe. The new AESA array, larger than the ones available to our competitors thanks to the Typhoon’s voluminous radome, will be fitted on a repositioner that will provide a wider field of regard when compared to those installed or scheduled for introduction on other fighters.

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

EUROFIGHTER NEWS

The “special colour” Luftwaffe Eurofighter celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the JG 74”

NEWS

The new radar will offer customers the freedom to retrofit their existing Typhoons when required, with significant growth potential, while both existing and new customers will be able to participate in tailoring the radar to meet their individual operational requirements.

 For Squadron Leader Jody McMeeking, a ‘dawn patrol’ mission over Libya as part of NATO’s commitment to protecting the civilian population saw him accumulate his 1,000th flying hour on the Typhoon. That’s quite an achievement when you consider that each Libyan fast jet sortie was typically flown around a duration of six hours. With around 2,000 hours flying time in total, over half of 32 year old Sqn Ldr McMeeking’s flying experience has been with the Typhoon. As a past instructor and having flown the aircraft operationally both as part of the UK’s Quick Reaction Alert force (QRA) and in the Falklands, he knows the aircraft inside out. “It’s a fantastic jet to fly, is incredibly agile and can carry a flexible range of weaponry” said Sqn Ldr McMeeking. “The cockpit is great in terms of pilot interaction for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions. The modern air battle is incredibly complex, and the Typhoon helps us win that battle by significantly enhancing our Situational Awareness.”

“I’m really privileged to have achieved 1,000 hours while on operations with the aircraft and it’s great to see the aircraft ‘stretch its legs’ here in Italy. This is its first war fighting role, and our Typhoons have deployed over 100 precision guided weapons while out here.” At the time, there were six Typhoons stationed at Gioia del Colle air base and eleven pilots. Aircraft were not personally assigned to a pilot, allowing all pilots to fly

all the aircraft. But did Sqn Ldr McMeeking have a favourite? “You love the one you’re with,” he joked. ”But every jet has its personality, and our ground crew do an amazing job, putting in long hours to make sure that the aircraft are always in the best possible condition. They work 24/7, 365 days a year out here and they never fail to deliver. We just couldn’t do what we do without them.”

EUROFIGHTER DELIVERS TO THE SPANISH AIR FORCE THE 300TH TYPHOON  The 300th Eurofighter Typhoon produced by the four partner companies of the European consortium, was delivered on October 18th by Cassidian to the Spanish Air Force, Ejercito del Aire. This milestone makes the Eurofighter Typhoon the only new generation multi-role aircraft to reach the impressive figure of 300 examples in service. The Eurofighter Typhoons – developed and manufactured by Cassidian in Germany and Spain, BAE Systems in the UK and Alenia Aeronautica in Italy - are now in service across the globe with 16 units in six air forces replacing 11 aircraft types. This confirms Eurofighter as not only the best performing multi-role aircraft available on the world market but also the most effective and best value solution to meet the air defence requirements of air forces and nations worldwide. To date, the fleet has completed over 130,000 flying hours with well above average operational availability and unmatched operational performance which was demonstrated recently during operations over Libya. The delivery coincided with the Seoul Air Show 2011 at which Eurofighte exhibitet its capabilities to support the campaign for the FX-III acquisition project. The South

Korean Defence Ministry is seeking to purchase some 60 next-generation fighters with the target of having them delivered for operational service in 2016. Enzo Casolini, Eurofighter GmbH CEO, spoke of this remarkable event: “Today’s milestone is another important example of how successful this joint European consortium

is. The programme, the largest industrial collaboration in Europe, is a shining example of what can be achieved through cooperation, bringing together European capabilities; securing thousands of long-term jobs and generating a positive economic impact for the customer nations”.

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

UNIQUE FOOTAGE FROM PARIS LE BOURGET AIR SHOW

AUSTRIA TYPHOONS INTERCEPT THE GIANT OF THE SKY  On Monday the 22nd of August, after Vienna's Mayor Dr. Häupl christened the new Lufthansa A380 “Wien” at the hub of Austrian Airlines, two Austrian Eurofighters conducted a QRA training interception of the new Airbus on its flight through Austrian airspace. The Eurofighters, scrambling from their base in Zeltweg, intercepted and flew in formation alongside the A380. Austrian Eurofighter pilot Major Günter Taschler said: “The challenge was how to approach the big wing span of the civil aircraft, in order to make eye contact with the pilot. It is also a challenge to approach the aircraft from below, since the airflow generated by the large surfaces of the aircraft can make for a difficult approach” This mission confirmed the excellent readiness of the Austrian Eurofighter fleet, which is always ready to provide the best air sovereignty in Austrian airspace.

EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH JAPAN  Reflecting the strong commitment to deepen the strategic partnership with Japan, the Supervisory Board of Eurofighter GmbH held for the first time a board meeting in Tokyo. Senior executives from Eurofighter partner companies (BAE Systems, Alenia Aeronautica, and Cassidian in Spain and Germany) visited Japan to discuss the status of the Eurofighter Typhoon F-X campaign, strategic next steps, and to hold talks with Ambassadors of the four consortium member-nations. Eurofighter, its partner companies and the four member-nations are working to strengthen industrial and technological relations with Japan. All four partner countries are supporting and are committed to the Eurofighter F-X campaign, which is being led by the U.K. government and BAE Systems.

FIRST PHASE OF METEOR MISSILES TESTS CONCLUDES  Eurofighter completed a range of aircarriage trials for the MBDA Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) in the first half of 2011 which forms part of the process of integrating the missile onto the Typhoon. The first of a series of trials to ensure the safe separation of the missile across the flight envelope were carried out by Eurofighter Partner Company BAE Systems with Instrumented Production Aircraft IPA 1 on the Aberporth range, UK.

EUROFIGHTER IN ICELAND FOR NORTHERN VIKING EXERCISE  Another challenging, long distance deployment for the Typhoon took place when four aircraft in service with the Italian Air Force participated in the "Northern Viking" exercise held in Iceland. The four fighters, with the support of a KC-130J air tanker and together with other Italian Armed Force assets, flew for the first time to Keflavik Air Base, in western Iceland. “Northern Viking 2011” is a joint exercise based on a bilateral treaty between the Government of Iceland and the USEUCOM US European Command - to train and operate seamlessly with other multinational assets. For the Italian Typhoons this training activity was an important opportunity to develop the ability to redeploy at a consider-

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

EUROFIGHTER NEWS

able distance from Italy and in operational conditions which were in stark contrast to those during the Italian summer. As expected with the Eurofighter Typhoons, this deployment was completed with a very high operational availability rate. The “Northern Viking 2011” exercise developed realistic scenarios with a focus on validation of the air support tactics. During the exercise, Eurofighter pilots worked closely with naval forces and field-tested appropriate tactics for the current operational requirements. The nations participating in the exercise were Italy, Iceland, United States, Norway, Finland and Denmark.

TYPHOON CENTURY FOR UK

 BAE Systems celebrated the completion of the 100th Typhoon aircraft which was built in the UK’s final assembly facility at Warton in Lancashire in May. BAE Systems is responsible for the production of key aircraft parts including the front fuselage, foreplanes, windscreen and canopy as well as carrying out the final assembly of all UK Typhoons.

The introduction of the Meteor missile will ensure that the Typhoon continues as the world’s most advanced swing-role combat aircraft well into the future, staying ahead of developing air-to-air threats. Meteor is a ramjet powered next generation Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile system (BVRAAM), with the largest No Escape Zone of any air-to-air weapon, resulting in a long stand-off range and high kill probability to ensure air superiority and pilot survivability.

Tom Fillingham, BAE Systems Aircraft Programmes Director said: “We’re delighted to have achieved this major milestone. Together with the UK MOD and the RAF, we continue our commitment to enhance and upgrade the aircraft’s capabilities. This Future Capability Upgrade programme is vital to the future success of the aircraft both in the UK and for current and potential customers worldwide.”

 This year, the Eurofighter Typhoon team pulled out all the stops to make the 2011 Paris Air Show the most memorable to date. Notably, Squadron Leader Rupert Joel gave a briefing on the Libya conflict, and how effective the Typhoon had been in scouting out and neutralising Colonel Gadhafi’s forces. It was also memorable for the fantastic flying displays by Eurofighter pilots. As is always the case, onlookers were treated to remarkable aerobatics at break-neck speed by the world’s most advanced swing-role aircraft.

If those displays looked good from terra firma, imagine how they must have looked through the eyes of the pilots. Thanks to unique cockpit footage filmed by Magg. Rafaele Beltrame, Eurofighter enthusiasts are able to experience the view for themselves. Look on as Magg. Beltrame manoeuvres the aircraft with utmost ease, despite pulling up to 9g, and marvel at the raw power of this fantastic asset to six air forces worldwide! To watch the video simply go to www.eurofighter.com/media/video-library.html and search for ‘cockpit footage’.

GERMAN EUROFIGHTERS PARTICIPATE IN THE TACTICAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME

 For a period of four weeks, Albacete Air Base in Spain was home to three Eurofighters from the Jagdgeschwader 74, based at Neuburg, Germany. The Luftwaffe’s Eurofighters were participating in the Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP) - considered to be one of the most demanding NATO exercises for flying combat units - for the first time. Next to the Eurofighter jets were

MiG-29s, F-16s, Mirage 2000s, F-4s, Hawks, Alpha-Jets, various types of helicopter, transport planes, special units and naval assets.

In the Composite Air Operation (COMAO), the special roles of each weapon system were harmonised in order to gain maximum effectiveness in a complex simulated war scenario. The Bavarian Eurofighters exploited their air dominance capabilities during

the exercise in order to protect other assets from hostile air attacks. The exercise demonstrated that the Eurofighter is in a class of its own and after a short period the jets were nicknamed “Storm”, delivering remarkable achievements by demonstrating how agile and dominant they were in their role when compared to other air assets involved in the exercise.

NEWS

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

FOCUS ON LIBYA

Official images from the RAF of the first airto-ground bomb drops

Libya, spoke to us about the deployment: “We have a philosophy that if you stay ready you don’t have to get ready. Consequently, although the RAF Typhoons were not formally at a high readiness state, 10 jets were armed and ready to deploy within 48 hours of the notice from our Headquarters. We had no need to conduct any extra pilot training which allowed the aircrew to

RAF Typhoon armed with four Paveway II bombs during five hour long missions over Libya

TYPHOON FLEET EFFECTIVENESS ON OPERATION IN LIBYA ollowing six months of intensive operations - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - the British and Italian Typhoon fleets have returned home from their key roles in Libyan operations. The aircraft, which went into combat for the first time in both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions, was re-deployed to Gioia del Colle and Trapani Air Force bases in Southern Italy from the 21st of March 2011, amassing over 4000 flying hours in the six months of operations. During this time, in support of UN Security Council Resolution 1973, the Typhoon has proven itself as a first class multi-role aircraft, both enforcing the no-fly-zone over Libya and in ground attack missions against regime forces threatening civilians. These achievements have marked a significant shift for the Typhoon and have successfully demonstrated the full maturity and adaptability of the platform. Within 18 hours of the identification of Gioia del Colle as the Operating Base, the RAF deployed 10 Typhoons, provided the early entry support staff and were managing the flow of equipment and personnel into the base. Wing Commander Jez Attridge, who took part in the first missions over

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

IN-SERVICE

focus on studying the likely air and surface threat and refine tactics”. “The Station Commander told station personnel on 17th March that we were on notice to move. The Station immediately went into action the next morning to have 8 jets ready to deploy within 48 hours and we were ready on 19th March. The really impressive aspect of this was how everyone moved with a common purpose and how our industrial partners immediately synchronized their activity with ours”. This rapid response from industry in achieving the first-ever avionics update to Typhoon aircraft during operations was commended by the RAF. These activities which were completed in phenomenal timescales, enabled clearance of air-to-surface roles for the full fleet. This success delivered a clear message about the efficient joint working arrangements established with the MOD and RAF and the determination and commitment of industry. The end result was that the RAF were able to deploy the aircraft and maintain Quick Reaction Alert tasking, whilst also continuing the training of pilots at RAF Coningsby. On 12th April 2011, Typhoon first proved itself to be a potent ground attack aircraft when a Typhoon patrolling over western Libya successfully engaged two Main Battle Tanks to the south of Misrata with Enhanced Paveway II bombs. Since that mission, Typhoon continued to prosecute targets threatening the safety of Libyan civilians. Typhoon has offered a credible option to defence, covering two roles that were previously operated by two separate platforms. “We don’t actually move from air-to-air to air-to-surface – the aircraft is always providing the pilot with information about the air environment and we can employ missiles against hostile threat aircraft at any time. So if you like, employing air-to-surface weapons is a capability that works with, not against, the other capabilities of the aircraft. The difficult part of the mission is interpreting the complicated picture on the ground and ensuring that the weapons are used against the right target, every time”. An early mission in the vicinity of Misrata demonstrates the ease with which Typhoon

can influence the ground environment. In this particular case, the Typhoon was wingman to a Tornado GR.4. Typhoon had only been declared in the air-to-surface role for two weeks and the pilots were still relatively inexperienced. However, when a target was passed to the formation by AWACS, the Typhoon pilot was able to cue the formation’s weapons onto the pro-regime forces within minutes, by a combination of Link-16 and Litening III targeting pod. Weapons were delivered by the formation within 10 minutes of the initial message. More remarkable, was the delivery of two Enhanced Paveway II weapons by the Typhoon - to two separate targets - in one pass. The pilot had not practiced this attack in over a year, yet was able to choose this delivery method due to the ease with which the aircraft allows air-to-surface delivery. Asked what he felt were the advantages of the Typhoon, Wg. Cdr. Attridge said “For me it was looking at the air-picture of the entire operating area, whilst on the ground at Gioia Del Colle. Our Link-16 datalink allowed us to zoom into any area, interrogate tracks to see who was operating where and pick up tasking. When you are 700 miles away, this level of situational awareness allows you to prepare mentally for the mission ahead before entering the airspace so that you are immediately effective. If you combine this with the outrageous thrust to weight advantage that Typhoon enjoys you have an aircraft that carries a lot of ordnance, with a pilot that has no doubt where that payload is going to be delivered”. As NATO forces worked to combat the aggressive actions of Libyan forces, the pilots faced many challenges during the missions. Without being able to go into details as to how attacks were addressed, Wg. Cdr. Attridge did say: “The Defensive Aids SubSystem on the Typhoon is world-class. Our pilots staked their lives on it every day, with no hesitation”. What has been staggering to those lacking knowledge and pleasing for those more familiar with Typhoon’s performance is the ease with which it carries heavy weaponry over significant distances in a fast moving, ever changing environment. Several times Typhoon pilots were forced to climb over thundercloud activity en route to the Area of Operation, whilst other aircraft with less performance were forced to re-route. What makes Typhoon stand apart from its

contemporaries is that even when carrying 4 x 1000Ib weapons, a targeting pod and 2 underwing tanks it can still fly at 40,000 feet, with impressive fuelrates statistics. This has obvious benefits in terms of endurance and more importantly, it ensures that the Typhoon is less of a burden on the air refuelling plan in the air-space. When the bombs are released the fuel burn reduces, allowing the aircraft to loiter while providing airborne cover with its full complement of air-to-air weapons for a significant period of time. The fact that the airframe is largely constructed of carbon fibre composites and light alloys to save weight – meaning it consumes less fuel and can carry more weapons - was never more vital than on the five hour plus missions along the Libyan coastline. As explained by Squadron Leader Rupert Joel during his Libya de-brief at the Paris Air Show, it is about 600 miles from Gioia de Colle to Libyan air space. “In Afghanistan I flew 325 miles maximum and in Iraq, 350 miles”. At 800 miles, the Libyan coast is even longer. “The aircraft doesn’t suffer at all from flying those extra hours. We’re flying them a lot and they’re performing exactly as they do in the UK”.

Further testimony to the Typhoon’s ease of operation and therefore minimal training burden when operated in the swing-role configuration is that several pilots were deployed with no air-to-surface experience. After one week’s training they were combat capable and have now delivered several weapons with no mishaps or excursions from the Rules of Engagement. Below can be found some Operation Ellamy data, related to the combined fleet of RAF Tornadoes and Typhoons Part of the Birgi Air Task Group, created by the Italian Air Force for these operations, Typhoons from 4 and 36 Stormo joined the Libya mission on 29th March 2011. The Italian Typhoons reached the milestone of 1000 flying hours in June whilst responsible for the defence of high value airborne assets deployed by NATO such as AWACS, ISR and air tankers, plus the protection of tactical assets involved in Combined Air Operations (COMAO).

The British and Italian fleets were withdrawn from Libya starting from the 23rd September 2011 as part of a “strategy to optimise the air contribution to the current and future campaign” according to an MOD statement. The Italian Typhoons returned to their home bases to continue in their air policing missions over Italy, Slovenia and Albania following their successful involvement. The achievement of these missions and Typhoon’s rapid deployment 72 hours from the initial UN mandate and the subsequent missions 12 hours later, are testament to the “instant deployability and relevance of this new generation aircraft”, as Wing Commander Attridge states. The Officer Commanding 906 Expeditionary Air Wing of the Royal Air Force, Group Captain Squires, commented on the Typhoon’s vital role in the operation. “The Typhoon’s contribution to enforcing the UN Resolution has been immense. The skill, determination and professionalism of the pilots and engineers alike, combined with the potent capability of an aircraft which can switch from air-to-ground and air-to-air

OP ELLAMY STATS. Mar

“As a Service, we've been fortunate to have at our disposal an aircraft that fulfils the RAF's mantra of being agile, adaptable and capable. This is reinforced by the fact that the average hours flown per aircraft during this operation have increased from the initial 24 hours to nearly 90 per month, which demonstrates the platform's stunning serviceability”.

May

Jun

Jul

Hours Flown 181 460 525 Planned Missions 32 94 107 Achieved Missions 29 88 103 Weapons Released 0 17 35 Frame Swaps 0 2 5 COMAOAverage of 2 to 3 COMAO's flown each week Overall success rate: 97%

501 83 83 25 5 66

590 124 114 87 5

The Italian Typhoons worked in partnership with those of the RAF, operating without any technical or interoperability issues. While Gioia is a permanent Eurofighter base, Trapani, in Sicily, was used by the Grosseto based aircraft, proving the typically small footprint and high operational availability that is standard for the Typhoon.

Apr

Aug (18 Aug) 301 62 58 45 1

TOTAL 2519 486 459 209 18

(source: RAF)

tasking in a moment’s notice has been exceptional and earned them a superb reputation within NATO. The Typhoon force can return home extremely proud of their immense contribution to NATO’s Operation Unified Protector.”

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

FACTS, NOT JUST WORDS:

COMPETITION

FACTS

EUROFIGHTER AMATEUR PHOTO COMPETITION

WHY

PICKS

“NOTHING COMES CLOSE” TO THE EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON

acts, not words. That is what’s important to highlight when the performance of fighters is being scrutinised. The recent Libya operations have seen the participation of several types of fighter jets with the remarkable exception of the stealth fighters which seem to have spent a very relaxing summer grounded most of the time due to serious technical issues. Mirage 2000, Mirage F.1, Super Etendard, F-16, Gripen, A-10, F-15, F-18, Tornado, AMX, Rafale and, of course, Typhoon, were all in operation over the Libyan skies. Much has been written about the operations, about the problems that arose such as the lack of interoperability between the Gripens and the NATO logistics and command chain. Much has been written about the various merits and the “wonderful” performance of some aircraft, in particular from the Rafale team. However, perhaps a less written about fact is that the French Air Force and Navy were forced to use four different types of fighters to complete their tasks: Rafale, Mirage 2000 (in different versions), the obsolete Mirage F.1 and the Super Etendard. Why? Is it possible that the capabilities of the Rafale were not as “wonderful” as had been reported and the aircraft was not capable of flying all “swing-role” missions as planned? It is fact that a large majority of the Rafales deployed for the operations were twin-seaters - another demonstration of the lack of capabilities in their single-seater to successfully complete missions. If we also take into account several emergency landings carried out by Rafales in Malta, the complete picture is probably not as rosy as is being reported in the press around the world. But to go back to simple facts: Libya has provided an insight into why Eurofighter is considered superior to its direct competitors (Rafale, F-18 etc.). Why? Because “Nothing Comes Close” to the Eurofighter Typhoon and here are the reasons:

LARGE RADAR: Typhoon’s voluminous radome and the cooling and electrical power capacity is designed to accommodate a repositionable Active Electronic Scanning Array (AESA). This provides a significant scan coverage enabling the best conditions for very long range detections, “Big SAR” radar mapping, tracking large numbers of targets, with a datalink for long range missiles within their entire flight envelope. POWERFUL ENGINES WITH PROVEN GROWTH POTENTIAL: Very Powerful engines combined with the Typhoon’s efficient aerodynamic and low weight airframe provide the required performance to take off on short runways and fly high and fast with a large weapon load. The engines have a tested and proven growth potential of up to 20% in power: further growth can be achieved with the Thrust Vectoring Nozzle. SUPERSONIC AND HIGH ALTITUDE PERFORMANCE: The Typhoon can fly for extended periods with three external fuel tanks and sustaining manoeuvres at very high altitude, the aircraft is able to fly supercruise with a full air-to-air missile load. MAX G-LOAD: The Typhoon always flies with the max g while launching its weapons and carrying three external fuel tanks and an extensive air-to-air missile load. CAREFREE HANDLING: The Typhoon has a very advanced flight envelope protection system: carefree handling at any flight speed and with any external weapon load, and Automatic LowSpeed Recovery (ALSR) in the entire flight envelope. COCKPIT AND DVI: The Typhoon has a spacious cockpit with large displays and Direct Voice Input (DVI) with an extensive range of commands available. HELMET MOUNTED DISPLAY AND HIGH OFF BORESIGHT MISSILES: The Typhoon has a very lightweight operational bifocal Helmet Mounted Display, which in combination with the IRIS-T or ASRAAM High Off Boresight Missiles provides the Typhoon with superior dogfight capabilities. The HMD gives Typhoon with a laser designator pod, superior targeting capabilities in a Close Air Support environment.

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

A WINNER

rom its launch in February 2011, Eurofighter GmbH received an amazing number of entries to its first Amateur Photography competition. Over the seven months it ran, entries came from skilled photographers from all over the world, including Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, India, Ireland and Portugal, Following the 31st August deadline, a panel of experts met in Eurofighter headquarters in Munich at the start of September to choose the winners. The panel consisted of the professional Eurofighter photographer Geoffrey Lee from Planefocus, Munich based professional photographer Alvise Predieri, Neil Bury, photographer of the front cover image on the 2011 Eurofighter Calendar, and representatives from the Eurofighter Communications team. The entries, all of which were of an impressively high standard, provided a thoroughly enjoyable challenge for the judges. After whittling down the favourites to a handful, several breathtaking images caused a heated debate. The eventual winner was Ian Ramsbottom, whose stunning shot of a 17 Sqn Typhoon in the Mach Loop in Wales, UK, left the judges with little to disagree on. In second place was Alvaro Muñoz-Aycuens who took an image of the Typhoon in the stormy skies at Duxford Air Show worthy of a renaissance era painting, and in third place was the iconic photo of Typhoon

 Eurofighter judging panel

 First place photograph: Ian Ramsbottom

 Second place photograph: Alvaro Muñoz-Aycuens

FUTURE PROVEN FLIR AND INFRARED SEARCH & TRACK SENSOR: The Typhoon can track and target multiple aircraft with its Pirate Infra Search and Track sensor. The IRST performance has been continuously improved through software upgrades. The FLIR provides the Typhoon with an excellent night intercept capability in the air policing role while identifying the target at safe distances. The FLIR is also an excellent landing aide in haze and night conditions. TOWED DECOY, ACTIVE MISSILE APPROACH WARNER, LARGE COUNTERMEASURES AND EW CUED MANOEUVRES: The in-built towed decoy and an active missile approach warner combined with the electronic warfare (EW) system cued manoeuvres provides Typhoon with the best protection against guided missiles without losing a weapon station.

LARGE ORDER BOOK, LARGE OPERATIONAL FLEET: The large number of ordered, produced and delivered Typhoons provides attractive economies of scale for cost sharing on future upgrades and potential for pooling and sharing weapon system maintenance and support facilities. ATTRACTIVE USER COMMUNITY: The Eurofighter Typhoon user nations includes the owner of world’s largest oil reserves/largest oil export country and some of the most influential EU/NATO countries with G8 membership.

taken at Aero India 2011 in Bangalore by Rajesh Kumar Elumalai, who captured the stark contrast between the white display smoke and the clear blue Indian sky. A special mention went to 16 year old Paddy Fidling

who the judges felt has a bright future in aviation photography. Ian’s picture will be featured in the 2012 Eurofighter Typhoon calendar and he will sit on Eurofighter’s Amateur Photography Competition panel in 2012.

 Third place photograph: Rajesh Kumar Elumalai

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

Night shot from Giovanni Colla taken at Trapani, during the deployment of the Typhoons of the 36th Stormo for the Libya operations.

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

IN-SERVICE

SUSTAINING AND DEPLOYING

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

RAF Typhoon with air-to-ground mission makings returns to base in Italy

THE EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON HIGH AVAILABILITY, BEST MISSION CAPABILITY & VALUE FOR MONEY Eurofighter Typhoon’s sustainability has been tested at length across a range of operational missions, including long-duration combat operations in multiple scenarios, involving diverse intelligence, surveillance and recon ops. Eurofighter Typhoon has this summer offered an average of 85% operational availability across the RAF; Luftwaffe; Italian Aeronautica Militare and Spanish Ejercito de l’Aire. Typhoon continues to demonstrate that it is available, deployable and supportable; offering excellent levels of fleet effectiveness using different models of logistics support across customer bases.

ach customer nation has chosen to utilise different levels of industrial support, demonstrating the aircraft’s suitability to adapt to each nation’s individual requirements. The role that local industry plays in this process is one demonstration of how this relationship brings greater value for money to the Typhoon customers. Platform increasing sustainment costs are a concern for all customers because as they age, they risk demanding a greater proportion of the overall defence budget, which in themselves are shrinking. The Eurofighter Typhoon fleet is at the beginning of its weapon system life cycle, and is starting to reap the budgetary benefits of maturity, having reached over 130,000 flight hours. Each customer nation utilises various levels of industry support, a remarkable achievement unique to Typhoon, demonstrating the aircraft’s suitability to adapt to each nation’s individual requirements. Taking into account the role that local industry plays in this process, recognises how this relationship brings greater value for money to customers. The threat of increasing costs of sustainment is a concern for all weapon systems because as they age, they risk demanding a

greater proportion of the overall defence budget, which in itself is most likely shrinking. Fortunately, the Eurofighter Typhoon fleet is at the beginning of its weapon system life cycle, and is starting to reap the budgetary benefits of maturity having just reached 130,000 flight hours.

Flight evaluations for potential customers are incredibly complex and demanding undertakings, yet the aircraft always arrived on schedule and serviceable. We have conducted successful deployments to Singapore, Switzerland and India, completing them within the planned time frame, showing the tremendous operational capabilities of the aircraft. The experience gained from each deployment has continued to shape Typhoon’s ever decreasing logistic footprint.

TRUE GLOBAL DEPLOYABILITY

SUSTAINMENT SOLUTIONS

The ability to deploy means different things to different air forces, with some having no requirements to do so, whilst for others it is a key requirement. The European partner nations have had good experiences deploying Eurofighter Typhoon on a range of expeditionary taskings and commonly share this knowledge across the Typhoon community. During the development phases of the Typhoon programme, when the platform was relatively immature, our deployments of the aircraft were very successful. The Typhoon has demonstrated excellent robustness in severe environments, behaving flawlessly under monsoon conditions in Singapore, enduring soaring high temperatures in Nevada and Saudi Arabia and has excelled under arctic conditions in Kiruna, Sweden and on the Falkland Islands: high altitude operations over the Himalayas have also proved successful.

The sustainment solution for customer air forces comprises of all the support features required to maintain the availability and operational capability of the Eurofighter Typhoon, its subsystems, software, and ground support systems over its entire life time. This includes maintenance, training, technical support, the management of parts, technical data, configuration and repair capability, in addition to failure reporting and analysis, and reliability growth. The selected sustainment solution is determined by the number of aircraft and the requirements for deployment of the fleet. The fleet’s diversity – single seat, twin seat, and various configurations within the fleet – helps to shape the solution. Local and global politics, employment conditions and regulations can all play a role in shaping and tailoring the flexible Typhoon sustainment solutions.

Although a highly skilled and well trained workforce is key, Typhoon sustainment solutions benefit from built-in condition maintenance reporting, operating with modern enterprise resource planning tools, and a supply chain that is structured according to best business practices. Additionally, the sustainment activities require significant coordination and communication across a myriad of functions and organisations. This process is facilitated by fleet-wide shared reporting and planning tools.

OPTIMISED FLEXIBLE SUSTAINMENT SOLUTIONS Flexible sustainment can vary from entirely air force operated, to industry/air force “Partnered Support”. Under air force operated sustainment, an air force will procure and manage discrete packages comprising of spares, repairs, technical support, manpower, transport, logistics and other support services. Consequently, the air force retains the full ownership of the solution definition. In this way, through-life support, sustainment and availability, is wholly an air force responsibility. “Partnered Support” solutions embrace collaboration between the air force and

industry, and the level of collaboration can range from individual elements of the sustainment solution, through to full industrialisation of the entire sustainment solution. In the full industrialisation scenario, industry would assume all non-operational risks by providing on-base manpower, managing the supply-chain, supporting the infrastructure setup and providing an integrated and proactive technical support service, including responsibility for managing operations. “Partnered Support” is an efficient and effective balance between the air force’s need to retain autonomous operational capability, and the utilisation of industry and service personnel. In this solution, the air force retains full responsibility for defining their support requirements and for delivering the actual operational effectiveness, whist industry assumes the responsibilities outlined above. Eurofighter Typhoon users have embraced the flexibility of Typhoon sustain-

ment solutions, and are demonstrating high levels of platform availability, enjoying best mission capability, with demonstrated value for money. Eurofighter Typhoon is not just the world’s most advanced new generation multi-role/swing role aircraft on the market. Customers and future customers are offered a well developed sustainment solution, tailored to their individual requirements, that has evolved from customer interaction and feedback. In combination with the performance of the aircraft, this is further proof as to why “Nothing Comes Close”.

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

EVOLUTION

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

EVOLUTION OF SCENARIO AND FIGHTER CAPABILITY

TYPHOON, THE RIGHT SOLUTION TO KILL W J-20 AND T-50? The Chinese J20

The Russian T50

hen examining the current great fighters on the market, it is quite common in some quarters to refer to them as ‘Relics of the Cold War’. Machines that were designed to defeat the Flankerclass threat with a considerable margin of superiority and starting from a quantitative disadvantage could easily be accused of irrelevance today. We are speaking about aircraft whose design did not allow for any compromise in the quest to achieve air supremacy, as this condition was deemed a sine qua non to win decisively and rapidly any conventional confrontation with the Warsaw Pact. They are fighters whose superior combat effectiveness would contribute massively to maintaining and increasing the deterrent effect of the Western Forces and to dissuade opponents from even considering a military solution as a viable option. Today's world is quite different from that of the Cold War, at least in the West. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the Far East nor the Middle East, where the potential for geopolitical issues still exists and is unlikely to disappear in the short to medium term. In such scenarios, fighters such as Raptor and Typhoon are not, by far, an unnecessary relic of a distant past. In fact it is quite clear that these high-end combat planes must enter the risk-reward calculus of any would-be aggressor right now. In this sense they are already contributing to a safer world by simply exercising their deterrent value. If powerful military assets such as Raptor and Typhoon in the American and European inventories are already a political and military asset for their air forces their effect would be much more robust should they fly with air forces, of the Far and Middle East countries. The question of whether the latest generation of western fighters would be an effective way to counter the vigorous re-armament underway in China is more than an academic exercise, as both Japan, South Korea and

Taiwan are currently planning some reequipping of their Air Forces’ combat fleets. Before examining in some detail the technicalities of the different fighter models and their relative suitability to Far Eastern scenarios, it is worth taking a closer look at the political aspects surrounding most procurements of military materiel. Given the massive presence of the US military in the region and the tight relationship built over decades between the Armed Forces of the respective countries, most of the analysts think that it would seem unrealistic to expect Japan or South Korea to order a European fighter, even if such a product were more suitable for dealing with the threat and for supporting the expansion of their national aviation industry. It is from such a perspective that the Eurofighter consortium and the four nations behind it have taken the challenging step of entering markets that up to now have been dominated by the US. In a multi-polar world that is becoming ever closer and more interconnected, where the events of the recent past are fading away into history and nations are desiring to exert a more assertive role and render themselves less dependent on a single big power, there is more room for moving away from the strictures of the past and for creating new alliances with the rest of the world. There is no doubt that in the possible future, if faced with threat scenarios in North East Asia, the F-22 Raptor would represent the best fighter to achieve the air supremacy necessary to eventually reduce the tension. And there is also no doubt that if such an aircraft were available for export to Japan and South Korea, there would be no reason for Typhoon to be offered to their air forces. In a defence environment characterised by a growing airborne capability, both in terms of quantity and quality (UAV, cruise

missiles, UCAV, new generation fighters like the J-11 and the J-10, stealth fighters like the J-20 or the T-50), the paramount attribute of any new fighter is to add significantly to the overall defence capability to deter and dissuade in the first place. Should this fail, in order to be able to defeat the threat with an ample margin of superiority once the desired level of air control is achieved, the ability to swing back to surface attack roles is a necessity. The Raptor is a fighter eminently suitable for air superiority missions, even though less suitable to swing later on in strike roles. The key attributes making the Raptor the pre-eminent fighter of today are the following design parameters: • Superb kinematic performance (acceleration, climb and turn rates, supersonic manoeuvrability, super-cruise, high thrust loading and low wing loading);Very low observability (VLO) in all aspects; Combination of high speed and VLO to achieve high survivability (as opposed to strike designs with frontal aspect only stealth and poor kinematics); Big aperture AESA radar and sensor fusion; Very high firepower (6 AMRAAM + 2 AIM-9X). Two additional features that would have significantly improved the air combat effectiveness of the Raptor that were dropped from the original design configuration due to the severe cost escalation of the F-22 programme were: • AESA radar side arrays (mainly to increase the radar scan volume and thus the fighter survivability in BVR combat); IRST sensor to increase the situational awareness and the passive combat capabilities. Another significant Raptor limitation is its restricted network capability, as any radio transmission (radar included!) is severely detrimental to a stealthy mode of operation.

Yet another huge penalty due to the VLO design is the heavy maintenance required and the large logistic footprint needed and hence limited mission availability, when compared to a similar fighter with a more conventional survivability design. As the Raptor is not available for export, the Typhoon’s design characteristics and its operational performance are the next in line, and considerably superior to the legacy fighters on offer today. The same is true for the limited low observable JSF, whose design is optimised for the strike role and requires the support of a true air superiority fighter in order to operate effectively according to the USAF, RAF and Italian Air Force operational requirements. Typhoon’s kinematic performance--with the exception of a lower super cruise speed with the current engine nozzles--is in the same class as the Raptor. The survivability equation in Typhoon is resolved through a smart and cost-effective combination of certain stealth technologies, highly sophisticated electronic countermeasures, use of passive and off-board sensors, kinematic manoeuvrability, accurate mission planning and combined / networked formation tactics. The new Typhoon will soon have the latest generation AESA radar (an important attribute in a field where the technology is still evolving relatively rapidly). Typhoon’s radar will also incorporate those highly effective scan volume extension features dropped from the Raptor’s design for financial reasons. The antenna is re-positionable so as to cover an angular scan of 200 degrees, thus augmenting considerably the survivability in the BVR combat domain and its performance in the SAR mode. The radar is complemented by passive sensors such as the IRST and the ESM to provide a robustly fused situational awareness and the capability for passive attack tactics.

In terms of missile carriage, both the Raptor and Typhoon design teams have concluded (after comprehensive operational analysis studies) that a 6 MRM + 2 SRM configuration represents the gold standard in air combat. The introduction of the longrange Meteor missile will considerably extend the ‘No Escape Zone’ of the missile shot and the overall air combat capability of Typhoon, something that even the Raptor cannot achieve today. The synergistic combination of best-inclass kinematic performance, state-of-theart re-positionable AESA radar and passive IRST, and long-range BVR missiles brings the air combat effectiveness of Typhoon not far short of the Raptor’s level. These results have been validated in several operational analysis simulations and form part of the justification for the investment in such break-through technologies. Still in store for future combat effectiveness enhancements are growth in engine thrust in the order of 15% to 20%, thrust vectoring nozzles to increase, among many other things, the super-cruise speed, and regular avionics and ECM updates. These upgrades will maintain Typhoon’s margin of superiority over the new generation of Russian and Chinese designs, including stealth designs now in development. The path leading to such high levels of performance is indeed different from the one chosen by the F-22, though both fighters represent the best available on the market today.

It is fair to say that the Eurofighter team was aware from the very beginning that the last 10% of extra performance would come at a very high price, as one would be entering the flat part of the performance-price curve. It is also fair to say that the “combination philosophy” for the survivability problem versus the VLO design was made with the full knowledge of the stealth design techniques and their negative impact on the size and mass of the fighter, and its acquisition and operating costs (the German Lampyridae project in the 1980s was closely tracking the black stealth programmes in the US and was of strategic importance in defining the key design features of Eurofighter Typhoon). Bearing in mind that the cost to procure and operate a true VLO fighter (not to be confused with a frontal aspect only LO strike plane like the JSF) would allow a smaller fleet of aircraft with low mission availability due to heavy stealth maintenance, the rationale for a higher number of Typhoons (at the same LCC budget) is quite compelling. It is therefore safe to conclude that Eurofighter Typhoon represents the most cost-effective multirole fighter among combat aircraft in service or under development. Any air force that has considered the F-22 Raptor as the best solution for their future threat scenarios should carefully assess the multirole capabilities offered by the new Typhoon weapons system and its overall cost-effectiveness. On the contrary, it is hard to believe that an air force that was interested in the Raptor would seriously consider any “stretching” or upgrading of legacy platforms or an unproven LO strike design like the JSF (requiring an F-22 or Typhoon to operate in an air superiority environment), unless it was going to lower its requirements and depend on third parties for the protection of its sovereignty. OF

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

AIR SHOW

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

AIR SHOWS PROVIDE A CHANCE FOR TYPHOON TO SHINE T RIAT

Visitors to the Eurofighter Pavilion get the chance to fly the simulator

LEBOURGET

he air shows during the summer months of 2011 marked a significant shift in approach for Eurofighter Typhoon, as we were able to highlight the full maturity of the programme in the most impressive of ways – multi-role combat proven. Whilst at many previous air shows there had been future capabilities and the latest weapon systems on display, now there were operational pilots straight back from flying combat missions with the Typhoon who could provide honest and detailed feedback on the aircraft’s performance. The biggest event in the 2011 air show calendar, Paris Le Bourget, began for Eurofighter on the Sunday - a day before the show’s official opening - when a media briefing was held in the Eurofighter Pavilion. Squadron Leader Rupert Joel, Executive Officer of 11 Squadron, deployed to Gioia de Colle in southern Italy in March of this year, spoke to a packed room of journalists: “Flying the Typhoon is like a pilot’s dream” stated Joel to the large crowd eager to hear what he had to report following his return from deployment. “Within 24 hours of arriving in Italy, we were operational flying in Libya” which he credits to “the dedication of RAF support personnel, the engineering team and all the civilians who have helped us deploy so well out to theatre”.

When asked about how well the aircraft has been performing and how it has responded to the long missions, Sqn. Ldr. Joel continued with the praise “The aircraft has such excellent performance and handling, it doesn’t really suffer from flying long missions; you’re really only limited by the pilot”. Fundamental to the success of any air force is the serviceability and through-life support of the aircraft. Never has this been more important than on operational deployment in Libya and the Falkland Islands. “The aircraft has been great in terms of serviceability. Back home in the UK we would normally fly about 24 hours per month, in Libya we’re flying 84 hours per month” and the aircraft has been performing outstandingly well according to Joel. Paris Air Show was also important because during the event Eurofighter announced a Letter of Intent signed by the four core nations confirming their full support in the development of the new AESA radar for the Typhoon and the commitment to the entry in-service date of 2015.

TYPHOON TAKES THE TITLE AT THE ROYAL INTERNATIONAL AIR TATTOO

IAT 2011 at Fairford air base, UK, was a great opportunity to see the best the world has to offer in military aviation. For its impressive fully loaded, airto-ground configured air display, the Typhoon, piloted by Eurofighter test pilot Mark Bowman, was honoured with the Steedman Display Sword for best British display. The daily flight, which was watched by up to 138,000 trade and public visitors highlighted the Typhoon’s agility regardless of weapon load. Just like at Farnborough 2010, the aircraft was carrying a heavy operational fit, similar to that flown by the RAF on operations over Libya, and demonstrating the sheer performance as a swing-role combat fighter. As usual the other aircraft at RIAT were displaying with lighter basic operational fits, allowing them to show the high manoeuvrability they have to offer under such circumstances. However, the Typhoon decided not to take the easy path, but instead adopted a more realistic configuration. Why? The aircraft clearly cannot manoeuvre as well when fully loaded, so what does it demonstrate? Well, it demonstrates the awesome power and agility of the platform in a realistic operational scenario, not just an optimum theoretical lightweight air display configuration. The configuration flown is what the men and women who fly this aircraft in 6 different air forces around the globe will be using in a real-world combat situation. It is easy to underestimate the complexity of flying an air-

British Typhoon IPA5 flies in its winning fully loaded display during RIAT

craft fully loaded in an operational war load – the extra mass of fuel, air-to-air and air-tosurface armaments causes significant stresses and demands on the airframe. On top of this there are the operational aspects such as manoeuvres, tactics, minimum heights for weapon effects etc... You get the idea: Typhoon makes this easy. What the public saw at RIAT 2011 was a combination of raw power and exceptional manoeuvrability which gives the Typhoon pilot an unparalleled ability to fly carefree and deliver operational capability in full heavy combat fit. It clearly demonstrates that a combat pilot in a Typhoon can deliver the

aircraft’s full capability easily, reliably and accurately. In the real world it is these things that are important, and that is why Typhoon chose this display configuration – not to look its best, but to demonstrate its capabilities realistically. As with all things at an air show it is important to display the aircraft clearly, accurately and safely; and obviously the RIAT air show committee believed that the Typhoon’s display had excelled at achieving this too. A fitting recognition of a great display, in a great aircraft, in a realistic operational configuration. NM

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

Public debut for the Saudi Typhoons at Zeltweg. Present at the show were also German and Austrian Eurofighters

AIR SHOW

AIRPOWER 2011 THE MOUNTAIN FIGHTER, THE DESERT FIGHTER

 Zeltweg air show, located in a valley between the picturesque mountains of Austria took place at the beginning of July and was attended by more than 200,000 aviation fans, and once again the Eurofighter Typhoon did not disappoint the crowds, who were privy to the public debut of two Royal Saudi Air Force Typhoon jets that stopped off en route to customer handover in Saudi Arabia. More details on their journey can be found to the right of this article. At Zeltweg, which served as the perfect setting for the Eurofighter display, we saw a return to a traditional programme of historic aircraft, fighter jets as well as helicopters and aerobatic display teams. Typhoon jets from the Austrian Bundesheer were on both static and flying display alongside the German Luftwaffe who had two aircraft at the show. In addition, journalists came from around the world to get an update on the latest Eurofighter news, visit the state-of-the-art Typhoon facilities at the air base, and of course, see the flying displays, which included the ‘interception’ of a C-130 Hercules aircraft.

DSEI: THE BRITISH AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE INDUSTRY SHOWCASE

NORTH, CENTRAL, EASTERN EUROPEAN TOUR  Eurofighter doesn’t just attend the wellheeled air shows and exhibitions in and around the Core Nations, as our presence with aircraft, pavilion and stands in Radom and Kielce in Poland, Roskilde in Denmark, Plovdiv in Bulgaria, Sion in Switzerland, Ostrava in the Czech Republic and Bucharest

EUROFIGHTER AT ROSKILDE AIRSHOW, DENMARK

 Despite the harsh conditions, Eurofighter provided a strong demonstration of what it takes to be “all-weather” during the Danish air show held at Roskilde, not far from Copenhagen in August. The show, which was attended for the first time by the Eurofighter team had to be interrupted on several occasions due to severe thunderstorms on the first day, but did not deter the Eurofighter team who hosted a range of VIP guests in their display tent. During the second day, Roskilde airport welcomed approximately 15,000 enthusiastic visitors who were delighted by displays of classic warbirds, general aviation aircraft, private aerobatic teams and a "spirited" display by two RDAF F-16s. Eurofighter had experts on hand to brief the visitors on the Typhoon jet, explaining the importance and value of the aircraft, highlighting its capabilities and exceptional levels of performance as well as detailing why the Eurofighter Typhoon is the best option for the future of the Danish Air Force.

t Eurofighter at Seoul Air Show, South Korea

ZELTWEG, AUSTRIA

 Former UK defence secretary Liam Fox, at the September DSEi defence exhibition in London gave a speech on the importance of the British Defence industry, talking about the role it plays in supporting over 300,000 high-tech jobs in the UK and contributing over £35bn to the wider economy. As part of this key note speech, he talked about the value of Typhoon to the industry, stating: “In particular, the performance of the Typhoon in its first multi-role contribution to operations has been fantastic – exceeding our own high expectations. For some time Britain has relied on the Typhoon to defend our homeland and our dependent territories. Now the Typhoon is tried and tested in a ground attack role too”.

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

q Eurofighter at Sion, Switzerland

in Romania prove. Hundreds of thousands of visitors at each of these events stopped by the Eurofighter stand which had a variety of capabilities on display, ranging from the real aircraft to the HMSS advanced helmet and the new AESA radar. On October 16, 1912, Bulgarian aircraft made history when they undertook the first ever air combat operations. It was not by

chance that the first aircraft used for this mission was of German origin, an Albatross FIII. Today, another aircraft with a share of German origin could be a solution for the future requirements of the Bulgarian Air Force who are evaluating fighters capable of replacing the MiG-21, MiG-29 and the Su-25 in service today. Eurofighter participated in an air show in Plovdiv, the second-largest city in Bulgaria, with a population of 330,000 inhabitants and known as the “nest” of Bulgarian aviation. Four aircraft were present at the show; two Italians and two Germans with a vivid air display flown by Eurofighter test pilot Chris Worning. In order to highlight the strong and historical relations between the Bulgarian and European aerospace industries, Eurofighter partner company Cassidian sent to the show one of its Messerschmitt Bf 109s, a G version example, of which 85 were in service during the Second World War defending the Bulgarian skies. q Eurofighter stand, with the EADS Me109 at Plovdiv, Bulgaria

At Radom Air Show and at Kielce Defence Exhibition in Poland during the summer, Eurofighter briefed the air force and institutions about the potential of the Typhoon replacing the MiG-29 and the Su-22 in service today. A potent air force, they started modernising with 48 F-16C but the plan is to replace all the old Soviet built platforms by the end of the decade. In September Eurofighter exhibited in Bucharest, at the local defence exhibition, Expomil 2011. Romania will soon need to replace its MiG-21 Lancer and the Typhoon is one of the candidates under consideration. The deep economic crisis that hit most of the European countries is not easing the process, but Typhoon is the only candidate that could fulfil all the expectations of the Romanian Air Force in terms of operational requirements and NATO commitments. A major air show attended by Eurofighter in the autumn was the Seoul air show. The Korean capital hosted a large event at which

Eurofighter made its debut. A large stand, with all the most advanced capabilities already in service on the aircraft, displayed alongside those that are a part of Typhoon’s future integration plan. The Defence Ministry plans to send the request for proposal for the FX project in the near future, selecting the winner as early as next year. The main contenders are the partially stealthy F-35 and F-15SE, but it is becoming clear in South Korea that the advanced stealth fighter projects from the United States might be ‘shovelling sand against the tide’, due to repeated failures and price hikes which have seen them losing ground to European and Russian fighters. Led by Cassidian Spain, the South Korea campaign is targeting the Asian nation to become a new partner on the Eurofighter programme, offering huge technology transfers and production involvement. The tender is for 60 aircraft, making it one of the largest in the fighter market.

A PILOT’S VIEW

WARTON - ZELTWEG – TAIF  Eurofighter test pilot Nat Makepeace’s journey from Warton, UK to Saudi Arabia in a Typhoon aircraft gave him the opportunity to blog about his experiences. During this time, which covered a period of 10 days, he updated us with insights into his life as an industry test pilot. Nat’s eventual goal was Al-Taif Air Base, where he was to hand over one of the 72 Typhoons that the Saudi government agreed to purchase in 2007. However, before reaching his destination, Nat made a scheduled stopoff in Austria to take part in the biennial Zeltweg Air Show. This fantastic occasion was memorable not only for the flying displays, which Nat described as “amazing” and “magical”, but also because it was the first time that the Typhoons of both export nations flew together, a moment which Nat remembers vividly: “Suddenly two extra voices came on the frequency and we had been intercepted by an Austrian Typhoon and a Saab 105 aircraft with a photographer on board. We did a little manoeuvring for some photos over the mountains and then we descended back down to the valleys and into our final destination. Absolutely stunning is the only way I can describe it!”

Unfortunately the regular challenges of life on an air base meant that Nat’s departure from Austria was delayed, meaning that the aircraft he was to deliver would be too. As always, Nat was keen to point out the essential work performed by ground staff to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible. He also noted the fantastic facilities available at Zeltweg, providing pilots in the

Austrian air force with the best possible equipment both in the air and on the ground. After leaving Austria, Nat took the Typhoon to Rhodes, Greece, where he was again struck by the helpfulness of the ground crew. Unfortunately, he was unable to give the airfield a fly past, due to the long journey ahead. He did however note that “I think we will bring the Typhoon back – just like Malta, they really appreciate our visits.” Once again flying at over 45,000ft, above both commercial aircraft and the weather, Nat was allowed to fly his Typhoon directly over Cairo, where it was a beautiful, clear day, giving him the chance to look down on the Pyramids below! He described the amazing experience, and it certainly must have been impressive to fly over one of the seven wonders of the ancient world in one of the modern world’s most advanced fighter jets. On the final leg of his journey, Nat was excited to be able to fly at the unusual altitude of 35,000ft, normally reserved for commercial airliners. However, he commented that the RSAF Typhoon was the perfect place to be, allowing him to zip along at 94% of the speed of sound with minimal fuel consumption. Job done, Nat reflected on the satisfaction he gets from handing over such valuable and impressive pieces of machinery. Hopefully the Saudi pilots will get as much fulfilment from their new aircraft as Nat did before them!

3/2011 EUROFIGHTER WORLD

ENGINE

EJ200 with Thrust Vectoring Nozzle

TAKING THE WORLD-LEADING COMBAT ENGINE INTO GLOBAL PRODUCTION MEETING THE DEMANDS OF TOMORROW’S EXPORT CUSTOMERS Future markets for the EJ200 powered Eurofighter Typhoon comprise well established sovereign nations which have a wealth of experience in maintaining and operating combat aero engines. Such markets generally have a continued need to sustain high levels of technological competency within their respective countries. This drives the

requirement for high level in-country industrial participation which can be achieved through indigenisation of the EJ200 engine. There are many elements to this, such as mandated levels of industrial participation (Transfer of Technology), production risks and economies of scale, which must be taken into account. In recognition of these factors, EUROJET’s approach is to phase the introduction of EJ200 indigenised production activities (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1: Generic Indigenisation of the EJ200 Engine Growing level of in-country industrial capability Level of Industrial Participation / Production Risk

UROJET has successfully managed over a decade of European-based production for its EJ200 engine. During this time, over 820 engines have been delivered to the air forces of six nations whom regard the EJ200 to be the best performing engine available on today’s market. However, with the EJ200 powered Eurofighter Typhoon attracting ever-increasing levels of export interest, the engine’s future production programme will need to extend its focus from the established European operation to production operations elsewhere in the world: “But how easy is it to export a well-established and high-technology production process?” Significantly, the groundwork to achieve such a challenge was laid at the beginning of the programme. During initial product development, positive steps were taken in the design and early production phases which ensured that the engine met high expectations; not only in the air but also on the assembly line. Additionally, owing to EUROJET’s multinational collaboration which consists of four separate shareholders, it has inherent experience of managing business within an international and multicultural framework.

High

Indigenous engine component manufacture

Medium

Engine module assembly from individual components

Engine acceptance testing

Final engine assembly from modules

Initial Production Phasing

Intermediate Production Phasing

Maximum Production Phasing

Low level of production risk maintained throughout

Low

Time

DESIGNED FOR ASSEMBLY Significant design effort was invested in ensuring that the assembly of the EJ200 is a straightforward, low-risk activity irrespective of which production facility was used. This has been achieved through the adoption of a design principle that mandated a minimal number of engine components. Where necessary, special design features have also been incorporated making it impossible to incorrectly assemble the engine. A modular architecture for the EJ200 engine was selected with the requirement that all modules must be fully interchangeable. This significantly reduces the required levels of inventory and subsequent demands on the supply chain.

INITIAL PRODUCTION PHASING Any initial export production phasing will involve final assembly of the engine from pre-assembled engine modules. The modules would be assembled by one of the EUROJET partner companies before being dispatched for final assembly at the export customer’s new production facility. Once the engine is fully assembled, a limited amount of confirmation running is required on a test bed. During implementation of the European production programme, an exhaustive set-up initiative was carried out by EUROJET, resulting in a fully optimised production process which was standardised for use across a variety of production lines. Using this past experience, the EUROJET team will initiate similar activities to ensure that a new production facility from outside the existing operation is successfully established.

Fig. 2: EJ200 Production Data Management UK Germany Spain Italy

Upper Limit

Rolling Average Lower Limit 500

The step from initial production phasing to an intermediate phase requires a more involved assembly line which, in addition to whole engine assembly and testing, is capable of building modules from individual engine components. To achieve the maximum level of indigenisation requires the manufacture of engine components as well as assembly of the modules, the final engine and final confirmation testing. This requires high levels of technological competence and therefore can take many years of development before a sustainable supply chain is established. However, on the European programme there are several modules and components assembled/manufactured by more than one EUROJET partner company. This has been achieved through applying standardised processes, use of proven tooling and the presence of optimised quality checks.

1000

Number of Engines Produced

These attributes will ensure a successful production transfer to a new facility.

SUSTAINING AN EFFECTIVE PRODUCTION CAPABILITY Over its many years of series production, EUROJET has amassed a mature production database which provides an excellent benchmark for monitoring the capability of a new production facility. Due to the fact that it is based on many years of experience, correlating data from a new production facility against the existing facilities will ensure a rapid route to achieving a stable production capability (Fig. 2).

FUTURE PRODUCTION OF THE EJ200 ENGINE From the outset, ease of production has been a key consideration for the EJ200 programme. This is reflected in the engine’s modular architecture which boasts fully interchangeable modules. The benefits of the EJ200’s design will naturally be realised by all new production facilities.

An EJ200 engine during final assembly

ACHIEVING A MAXIMUM PRODUCTION CAPABILITY

Production data from export customer

Production Data

The EUROJET consortium has a wealth of knowledge gained throughout the many years of EJ200 production. Its experience ranges from establishing an initial production capability through to transfer of production but also extends to sustaining a capable production line. Leveraging from its best practice in component manufacture, coupled with the most modern technology, EUROJET will ensure the highest levels in production efficiency are achieved. It’s evident that manufacturing and production capabilities play a significant role in the overall selection process of future fighter aircraft programmes. EUROJET with its EJ200 engine offers a broad range of advanced manufacturing technologies that will augment existing in-country capabilities whilst ensuring long term national security. Through building on the successful experiences of the past and using the inherent skills from within its four partner companies, EUROJET is ready to extend the production of its world leading engine to a global market.