Over the past 12 months there has been a lot of head-scratching
going on in some quarters as to just what is happening with the
Eurofighter Typhoon program. Confident predictions that the aircraft
would be in service well before the end of 2002 were not fulfilled.
Instead, a series of difficulties surfaced to stymie the team's
progress.
"No problem," says Eurofighter. All outstanding issues
have now been dealt with and the early June meetings of NETMA
and the NATO Armament Directors really do clear the way for service
entry by the end of this month. 2003 would therefore see more
than 20 aircraft handed over to the four partner air forces and
the almost immediate launch of flying operations in the UK and
Germany.
Eurofighter acknowledges that problems with the aircraft's carbonfiber
tail, and build issues in the transition from the developmental
Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA) to the Standard Production
Aircraft (SPA), forced a 'slip' in deliveries from June to December
2002.
The November crash of Typhoon DA6 in Spain forced a further delay
as the aircraft was submitted to a renewed flight clearance program.
Full type-acceptance could not be issued without electromagnetic
and lightning strike resistance testing on the SPA configuration,
but the availability of these aircraft was held up by the other
program problems.
The first British, German, Italian and Spanish SPA Typhoons all
made their maiden flights over a three-day period in February,
and Britain's BT001 headed straight for Boscombe Down to start
the final EM and lightning tests. These have now been completed.
Approval by the NAD for the formal type-acceptance to go ahead
will open the way for the Typhoon to finally lift-off.
Eurofighter currently has the major components of 110 aircraft
in production and around 40 in final assembly. A total of 22 will
be available for delivery by the end of 2003. The first deliveries
for the UK and Germany should go ahead in June, followed by Typhoons
for Italy in September and for Spain in December. Strangely, the
first of Italy's 'interim' F-16s arrived in June to begin their
five-year lease, even though the first Italian Typhoons are imminent-and
Italy turned down an opportunity to accelerate its Eurofighter
deliveries about 18 months ago. UK pilot and maintenance training
is now well underway. German maintenance training began in February
and its pilot training will start on July 4.
Eurofighter is confident that it will secure an order for 18 Typhoons
from Austria that was first announced last year. Final parliamentary
approval is expected in Vienna around June 18. A downselect decision
is also eagerly awaited in Singapore-to come within the next three
months. Greece reaffirmed its commitment to purchase Typhoon most
recently in February, but says that it will restart negotiations
in 2004 once renewed finding becomes available. In Norway the
Eurofighter team is negotiating a technology partner agreement
with the Ministry of Defense and national industry, to match the
agreement that Norway has struck on the Joint Strike Fighter.
Eurofighter is also maintaining its contacts with Denmark and
the Netherlands on their future fighter requirements.
The crucial decisions by the Eurofighter partners on the options
for Tranche 2 enhanced capability are now being finalized in a
fast-track procedure that should be completed in July. Essentially,
the four customers are sitting together to assess what technology
is available, what level of operational capability is needed and
how it will all be paid for. The Tranche 2 contract is still on
schedule to be signed before year's end.
Eurofighter dismisses the widespread speculation that has appeared
in the UK and elsewhere recently about a possible cut in Typhoon
procurement. The company says there have been no negotiations
concerning any reductions to the 620 orders and 90 options that
are currently on contract, adding that any such changes would
have a serious impact on the industrial workshare situation.
