PS002, the fifth Eurofighter Typhoon Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA5), successfully carried out its first flight recently, at BAE Systems' Warton aerodrome, in the United Kingdom.
IPA5 took off from Warton, piloted by Eurofighter Typhoon Project Pilot, Mark Bowman. This new production test aircraft was assembled by BAE Systems on behalf of the Eurofighter Typhoon 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.
"This is a significant step as we move into the production phase for single-seat Eurofighter Typhoons," said Chris Boardman, Managing Director, Eurofighter Typhoon, BAE Systems. "The single seat aircraft will form the cornerstone of the RAF fleet for many years to come, so it was particularly rewarding to see IPA5 make its first flight."
IPA5 is primarily designed to qualify production standards and functionality in concert with single-seat production across the Eurofighter Typhhon partner nations. It joins the test fleet of six development aircraft, three twin-seat Instrumented production aircraft and two single-seat Instrumented production aircraft.
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."The successful first flight of IPA5 included general systems and performance testing. The aircraft incorporates all the latest standards of weapon system capability and will be used to fully extend the flight envelope and fully develop the aircraft's systems," said Bowman.
"The first flight of IPA5 further underlines the confidence we, as pilots and test pilots have in the continued success of this awesome machine."
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 manoeuvrable, the twin-engine Eurofighter Typhoon is designed to operate from hastily prepared bases and small runways for worldwide operations. It is equipped with 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 computerised 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 Typhoon 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 down selected in Singapore in a competition for a Future Fighter.
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence 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 February 26 2004.
-Ends-
About BAE Systems:
BAE Systems is an international company engaged in the development, delivery, and support of advanced defence and aerospace systems in the air, on land, at sea, and in space.
The company designs, manufactures, and supports military aircraft, surface ships, submarines, radar, avionics, communications, electronics, and guided weapon systems. It is a pioneer in technology with a heritage stretching back hundreds of years. It is at the forefront of innovation, working to develop the next generation of intelligent defence systems.
BAE Systems has major operations across five continents and customers in some 130 countries. The company employs more than 90,000 people and generates annual sales of approximately 12 billion through its wholly owned and joint-venture operations.
BAE Systems, innovating for a safer world.
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