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Issue 3 - 2001

Team EurofighterBenefits Suppliers

Dutch And NorwegianCampaign Action

EF DASS In Focus

News from Eurofighter

www.eurofighter.com

Guest CommentEurofighter ExportsPablo de Bergia

CommunicationsTeam Eurofighter

NEWSLatest developments

Production UpdateA look at work in the EPCs

Campaign UpdateThe NetherlandsNorway

Technology FocusDASS

Flight Test UpdateDA2 and DA4 at Work

Supplier FocusCobham Plc

Test Pilot ProfileAlfonso de Castro

Training Support ASTA - Total Training System

Tail PiecesCompetition Corner

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Vortex is published by

The Write Partnership Ltd,for Eurofighter GmbH

The Write Partnership LtdTel: +44 1264 356973Fax: +44 1264 356974

Photographer - Geoffrey Lee

Printed by Stephens & George,Merthyr Tydfil, UK

GUEST COMMENT

Contents

As VORTEX readers know, the production phase has now begun in the fourcountries and the European Partner Companies are working hard to fulfileach and every target. The next important aim will be the first flight ofInstrumented Production Aircraft (IPA) 1 at Warton and of IPA3 at Manching.The development programme and the flight tests proceed successfully andall suppliers are delivering equipment on time. The results of our efforts arevery positive and by the second half of 2002, the four Nations will start toreceive their aircraft as scheduled. More than ever, we all desire that our AirForces will soon enter into service with this exceptional defence tool to servethe European citizens better and defend democracy.

That said, I would like to talk to you about a very important subject thatdeserves more attention, namely the export campaigns.

Export requirements will largely depend on the swing role characteristicsof Eurofighter Typhoon and more and more on its air to ground attackcapabilities.

We have to make an effort to understand and firmly believe that the exportmarket must become an essential and "core business". If we want to besuccessful in such markets, dominated traditionally by our transatlanticallies and characterised by competitiveness, we will need to develop theability to anticipate the requirements of our potential customers.

The development phase is currently demonstrating the aircraft’s perfectcapability to adapt to changing defence scenarios. An essential partof our strategy is the reinforcement of exports and the future growth of ourindustries and I believe we have in Europe all the necessary ingredients.The economy, more than we believe, will benefit from this. But exports donot come out of the blue and our structures, products and overall mentalityneed to evolve with that target clearly centred in our thoughts.

Since the last issue of this magazine, the world situation has changed andthe need for a strong and efficient defence structure has increased.

We must continue working together with pride in that direction and even ifsacrifices are being demanded from all of us, we will do better in the futureby helping to defend the ideas in which we trust.

Pablo de BergiaPresident and CEO EADS Military Aircraft in SpainEurofighter Chairman of the Board

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EUROFIGHTER EXPORTSEUROFIGHTER EXPORTS

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The last edition of VORTEX (Issue 2 2001)looked at Supply Chain Management issuessurrounding the Eurofighter Typhoon. Beyond

day-to-day management concerns, suppliers need toknow and feel that they can leverage their participationin one of Europe’s prestige technology programmes tocomplement their efforts to generate new business forthemselves both in and outside the programme.

Team Eurofighter is an initiative to promote theparticipation of suppliers in the programme. Its aimsare to promote the benefits of working on the programmeand thereby leverage their capabilities into otheraerospace programmes. Valerie Duncker is theEurofighter GmbH Communications Manager incharge of this initiative. "Team Eurofighter is designedto help suppliers with their communication efforts, forinstance in putting together press releases to appealto a variety of media. This will result in promotion andprofile for the individual company and increase thelevel of awareness the Eurofighter programme willhave on future levels of business," explains Duncker.

The first Team Eurofighter event took place last sum-mer. The Vendor conference in July 2001 was wellattended by supplier representatives from the fournations and from further afield, including America. TheEurofighter Communications Team introduced

suppliers to a number of public relations and communications tools: the Eurofighter TruckSimulator, Eurofighter Express newsletter, TeamEurofighter press releases and the Team Eurofighterlogo. "We are looking to create a broader feelingamong all Eurofighter Typhoon suppliers that they areinvolved in the programme regardless of what theysupply. Team Eurofighter is a platform that I hopesuppliers will use to promote their interests."

Suppliers are invited to use the Team Eurofighter logoon publicity material associated with their role in theprogramme, at appropriate exhibitions and on theirwebsites. The Eurofighter Communications Team isworking with suppliers to prepare fact sheets that willbe distributed to top aerospace and defencejournalists to further raise a company’s profile in theaircraft programme.

Vortex - Issue 3 2001

Delegatesto therecentEurofighterVendorConferenceenter thetruck simulatorfor a sortie.

The first Team Eurofighter

event took place in the early

summer and saw suppliers

from across Europe and

beyond come together to

see how they can benefit

from this initiative.

What is the aim of Team Eurofighter?

-To demonstrate the range and scope of cur-rent Eurofighter programme across thedefence and aerospace community.

-Provide ready access for suppliers to allEurofighter information to promote theprogramme at every level - national and local.

-Allow Eurofighter partners and suppliersto demonstrate their achievement on theprogramme to their workforce, suppliers andlocal population.

-Emphasise Eurofighter core messagesacross the EF Community.

-The aim of the Supplier Initiative is to max-imise the positive Communications effort ofthe Eurofighter Community across the entiresupplier chain and their partners.

-Drive the strength and impact of theEurofighter programme through to the grassroots of the target community.

ESW-Extel Systems Wedel and from companies like BAE SYSTEMS,Matra BAe Dynamics and Raytheon.

CHIEF FLIES DA6

The Chief of the German Air Force’s AirStaff (Inspekteur der Luftwaffe)Lieutenant General Gerhard Back hasflown the Eurofighter Typhoon for thefirst time. Flying the EADS CASA twin-seat Development Aircraft (DA) 6, Lt GenBack was accompanied by Test PilotHeinz Spölgen.

have a working committee of engineers toensure that advances made on one sidework in harmony with the other.

The new facilities were opened byProfessor John Roulston, TechnicalDirector of BAE SYSTEMS, Avionics,who is in charge of development of the

E u r o f i g h t e rTyphoon’s CAP-TOR radar. "Wehave the best pos-sible combination ofradar and radomegiven the physicalconstraints. Cheltonhave achieved aradome productionrepeatability sec-ond to none, whichis important as radarsoftware can bewritten just onceand Euro-fighterhas a long produc-tion span ahead ofit."

CRL is part of theEurofighter NoseR a d o m eConsortium and isresponsible fordielectric develop-ment along withtechnical design

authority and carries out manufacturing,as does prime contractor ESW-ExtelSystems Wedel (Germany), Alenia Difesa(Italy) and INTA (Spain). Radomes aredesigned to protect radar from weatherconditions and to ensure minimum interfer-ence to effective radar operation.

Invited guests included Rolf Forstmann,Division Manager Marketing at

NEW CRL UPGRADE

Last October Chelton Radomes Limited(CRL) unveiled a major £7 million (€11.5million) facility upgrade to support its workfor the Eurofighter Typhoon, ASTOR,Nimrod MRA4 and Augusta WestlandEH101 MM programmes.

"This Open Day shows the work we’vedone for Eurofighter Typhoon, the largestdefence programme in Europe, which weare very proud to be involved in," saysJeff Cooper, Chelton Group ManagingDirector. "The radome protects the radarfrom the Eurofighter Typhoon’s superson-ic environment and shows the close work-ing relationship between us and BAESYSTEMS." CRL and BAE SYSTEMS

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Trevor Cook, Chelton

Radomes Limited Managing

Director, Professor John

Roulston, BAE SYSTEMS

Avionics Technical Director,

Rt. Hon. Barbara Follet MP

and Hugh Tessier, Mayor of

Stevenage were present at

the unveiling of a plaque to

commemorate the opening

of the upgraded CRL facility.

Professor John Roulston, GeoffCooper OBE, Managing Director ofChelton Group examine a mouldeddielectric radome at the CRL facility.

Trevor Cook and Professor John Roulston shake handsafter the opening ceremony that symbolises the co-operation between BAE SYSTEMS andChelton Radomes Limited.

KOREAN SUCCESS

The Korean Aerospace & DefenceExhibition 2001 trade show was recently

held at Seoul Airport.The event was organ-ised by the Republic ofKorea Air Force(ROKAF), the KoreanAerospace IndustriesAssociation and theKorean Defence IndustryAssociation.

On display was a full-scale mockupEurofighter Typhoon aircraft, completewith various types of ordnance. A cockpitdemonstrator provided visitors from thisimportant potential export market with theopportunity to see many of the tech-nologies at first hand.

Visitors could fly either a combined air-to-air or ground attack mission in the cockpitdemonstrator and were amazed at theDirect Voice Input (DVI) capability thatenables voice commands to be given andaircraft computer to give information ver-bally to the pilot. Prizes and giveawayswere a huge hit, in particular, copies ofthe new challenging game of Blue SkyOne. A version of the game can be playedon the website www.eurofighter.com inthe interactive section.

Over 200,000 people attended the showin 2000, whilst last November more than250,000 people were drawn to theevent, making it one of the most popularair shows in the world.

UK FOAS EYES EF

The prestigious UK Royal AeronauticalSociety played host recently to a semi-nar to discuss the capabilities and mix ofthe UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) FutureOffensive Air System (FOAS). ViceAdmiral Sir Jeremy Blackman, UK DeputyChief of Defence Staff (EquipmentCapability) struck a chord among dele-gates with his keynote speech before

5Vortex - Issue 3 2001

During the fifty-minute flight, Lt GenBack, an experienced fast jet pilot, madea thorough evaluation of the aircraft’s capabilities and concluded after-wards, "With the Eurofighter, theLuftwaffe will get exactly the weapon sys-tem needed to fulfil all future require-ments." Afterwards, President of EADSMilitary Aircraft Aloysius Rauen wel-comed Lt Gen Back’s comments: "Weare very pleased that your firstEurofighter flight proved to be very suc-cessful, which we see as the best compli-ment for the product and its producers."Before the flight, Lt Gen Back toured

EADS Flight Test Centre at Manching andwas given the latest briefing on the statusof the aircraft and its systems. He saidthe Eurofighter Typhoon was vital to theGerman Air Force to help it overcomeproblems with existing platforms, such asthe MiG-29. Eurofighter Typhoon willenter service with the German Air Force in2002. The first of the 180 aircraft on orderby the Luftwaffe will be available for service-instructor training for the initial opera-tional unit, Jagdgeschwader 73 Steinhoffbased at Laage. Pilots at the base havealready worked with the EurofighterTyphoon during CAPTOR trials.

The Chief of the German Air Force’s Air Staff (Inspekteur derLuftwaffe) Lieutenant General Gerhard Back shows what he thoughtof his first flight in a Eurofighter Typhoon.

The Chief of the German Air Force’sAir Staff (Inspekteur der Luftwaffe)Lieutenant General Gerhard Backwas accompanied on his first flightby EADS Test Pilot Heinz Spölgenwho recently clocked up 3,000 flighthours or the equivalent of fourmonths continuous time in the air,during the summer.

In his presentation, Michael Christie, BAESYSTEMS Capability Director Strike con-sidered the role of unmanned platformswithin FOAS. Following an overview ofsoon to be formed MBDA’s contributionby Business Development Executive IanMetcalf, the day was rounded off by anopen debate. It was felt that UAVs wouldcertainly be part of FOAS but what rolethey would play was still the subject of on-going research that is being speeded upby the use of synthetic environments.

VITAL SUPPORT SERVICE

The NATO and Tornado ManagementAgency (NETMA) has awarded the firstin-service support contract to EurofighterGmbH. Valued at DM1.5 billion (€3 bil-lion), the Industrial Exchange and RepairService (IERS) is designed to provideAir Force customers with an efficientand cost-effective alternative to tradition-al support scenarios.

IERS contract spans the set-up and oper-ational phases up until the end of 2005.Eurofighter GmbH will run an internation-al spares pool to minimise the overallspares requirement and reduce supportcosts borne by the four customernations. This IERS contract coversIntegrated Logistic Support Contract No.5(PC5) in a series of eleven contracts thatprovide a support package to the aircraft.

NETMA’s General Manager, MajorGeneral Roseano comments on thesignificance of the contract: "The IERScontract will give the Nations confidence inpreparation and delivery and subsequentoperation of the first Tranche ofEurofighter Typhoon aircraft and guaranteeflight operations in the four nations AirForces." NETMA’s General Manager alsohighlighted the cost benefits the IERSwould enable through the close co-operation and shared interests betweenindustry and customers.

With the IERS, the partner Air Forces willbe able to submit airborne equipment forrepair, initially from the four main operating

presentations by Air Commodore AlHudson, Director EquipmentCapability (Deep Strike) and JonathanLyle, FOAS Integrated Project TeamLeader from the MoD.

Alison Wood, BAE SYSTEMS GroupDirector Future Systems made a presentation on moving away from aplatform to a system-of-systemsapproach before a briefing on theEurofighter Typhoon by ShaunHughes, Eurofighter Flight OperationsManager. Delegates from industry andgovernment, such as from the MoDand the air attachés from the LondonEmbassies, listened to Hughes outlinethe capabilities an EnhancedEurofighter would field.

"We have the capability and the tech-nology. The next steps over the 2006 -2010 period will see the incorporationof a laser designation pod to enhance24 hour targeting and operationalcapabilities, the addition of newweapon systems, such as Meteor andimproved sensors, for instance in thepassive missile warner. EurofighterTyphoon is ready for all missions frompeace keeping, transition to war and allout conflict within and without US-ledcoalition operations."


bases. It will cover 199 key items ofequipment with 60 items in an exchangeservice and 139 items in a GuaranteedRepair Turn Round Service. IERS per-formance levels are to adhere to strictperformance requirements, which willensure a high level of aircraft availability.

The international transport network link-ing Air Force bases to repair centreswill be provided by Italian company ZüstAmbrosetti. IERS involves all of themain European suppliers, such as BAESYSTEMS, TELDIX, LITEF, Smiths,FiatAvio, Alenia DSAE and INDRA whowill conduct repairs.

Eurofighter GmbH will act as IERSprime contractor, which will use a BAESYSTEMS-IFS Information TechnologyLogistics Management System (IT-LMS) tomonitor and guarantee service efficiency.Eurofighter GmbH anticipates the award offollow-on contracts. Export countries wouldbe in line to receive a similar service fortheir fleets.

BRIMSTONE AIR TESTS

Brimstone, the anti-armour weapon thatwill be instrumental in EurofighterTyphoon’s air-to ground roles, hasentered the air launch phase of its testprogramme. A Tornado modified to GR4standard travelled to China Lake NavalAir Station, California in December

Speaking at the prestigous UKRoyal Aeronautical Societyseminar was Alison Wood, BAESYSTEMS Managing DirectorFuture Systems and FOAS.

The terrain navigational aid TERPROM will be featured on theEurofighter Typhoon as well as the fitting of Directed Counter-Measures (DRCM) and other capability enhancements.


2001, with firing trials taking place soonafter. A series of weapons release trialsfrom a Tornado aircraft have also beencarried out in the UK in recent months.

This new air phase sees a return to test-ing in the United States after the completionof the ground trials phase at the YumaProving Ground in Arizona at the beginning

of the summer. Brimstone ProjectDirector Keith Lewindon comments: "Weare obviously delighted with the successachieved in the ground firing trials whichwas an important proving programme forthe Brimstone weapon. The fact that theweapon performance was demonstratedsuccessfully in a wide range of launchconditions has shown Brimstone will be a

significant addition to the RAF’s anti-amour capability."

A total of sixteen missiles were fired at theYuma range during the ground launchphase. Initial trials included autopilotdevelopment to enable precision fire andforget and data gathering. This wasfollowed by the firing of pre-productionBrimstone missiles in the latter part of thetest series that demonstrated the system’sperformance envelope in short range,long range and off-boresight engage-ments.

Although it has been necessary to alignBrimstone’s formal ISD of October withthe Tornado GR4 Package 2 programme,Brimstone production is underway atDefence Munitions Beith where the UKMinistry of Defence will accept the firstbatch in the next few months. Brimstonewas recently promoted at the KoreanAerospace & Defence Exhibition 2001 asthe weapon system would be in line withKorean requirements for an anti-amourmissile. Brimstone is manufactured byAlenia Marconi Systems Missiles Dvision,which is expected to combine with MatraBAe Dynamics and EADS AerospatialeMatra Missiles to form MBDA.

WEBSITE PULLING POWER

www.eurofighter.com has seen the additionof an education and entertainment zonedesigned to broaden the appeal of theaircraft outside aerospace and militarycircles. Six new areas have been addedto the website. Tony McKenzie, a Directorat website developer Open Platform,comments: "The interactive featuresreflect the nature of the EurofighterTyphoon aircraft. The Blue Sky Onerepresents the aircraft’s supreme agilityand swing-role capability. The MissionPlanner game is aimed at a slightly oldertarget audience who prefer strategy toshoot-‘em ups."

Blue Sky One uses viral marketingthrough a feature called "challenge afriend" as McKenzie explains: "Peopleemail a challenge to beat their score to acolleague or friend who then has a link tothe Eurofighter website. People whomight have no connection with theEurofighter programme are being drawnto the website."

This game was created by RussellHolmes and Tony McKenzie, whilstMission Planner by Phil Patterson andChris Guthrie. Technical and contentcontrol of the website are the responsibilitiesof Alistair Higson of Open Platform.

A Tornado fires the Brimstone anti-armour missiles during the airlaunch phase of the system’s development programme. More such firings took place in the US in December 2001.

Industrial Exchange and Repair Service (IERS) will give customer airforces an efficient and effective service to maximise aircraft performance and availability.

DASS PRODUCTION

A production contract for the EurofighterTyphoon’s Defensive Aids Subsystem(DASS) has been awarded to the consor-tium EuroDASS. Led by BAE SYSTEMS,the consortium brings together the capa-bilities of INDRA, Elettronica and nowEADS as the German Bundestag hadapproved funding. (See Technology Focus -DASS)

EJ200 INTEGRATION

Between 7 June and 5 October 2001,Eurojet consortium members deliveredeleven production EJ-200 engines to thefour Eurofighter Typhoon final assembly

plants. Rolls-Royce deliv-ered four to BAE SYS-TEMS at Warton,FiatAvio four to AleniaAerospazio at Casselle,MTU two to EADSDeutschland atManching and ITP one toEADS CASA at Getafe.

Engine integration on thefirst production aircraft atWarton was completed inOctober with engine trialsalso beginning. The firstflight of the first produc-tion aircraft is scheduledfor first quarter 2002.

Sir John Day AOC-in-C RAFStrike Command. Other guestspresent at the ceremony includ-ed Sebastian de Ferranti andother past chairmen of FerrantiDefence Systems, part of BAESYSTEMS heritage.

Following a fly past by aircraft,including a Tornado GR4 fromthe RAF’s 617 Squadron, theDuke of Edinburgh opened thenew engineering buildingspeaking with staff and touring the new production facility where CAPTOR radar,amongst other products, are manufactured. As VORTEXgoes to press, a total of five

CAPTOR radar have been delivered tofinal assembly lines in the four EurofighterTyphoon nations.


Four other areas are also part of thelearning zone. Website visitors can testtheir knowledge in a quiz on theEurofighter Typhoon programme and findout what Eurofighter Typhoon Test Pilotsthink about certain issues. There is also aSlider Puzzle and the option of downloadinga Eurofighter Typhoon screensaver.

Additionally, there is a Campaign Updatesection where internet surfers can accessdetailed information on the countrieswhich have requirements EurofighterTyphoon is well-positioned to meet, suchas The Netherlands.

NETMA EPS

The NATO Eurofighter and TornadoManagement Agency (NETMA) hasawarded a DM15 million (€30 million)Support and Maintenance of theEnhanced Procurement System (EPS)Central Automatic Data ProcessingSystem (CADPS). Spanish companiesIndra Sistemas SA and Vitrociset SA willsupply and implement the system, whichwill allow act as a secure automated dataand information exchange between thefour-nation procurement organisationsand the European Partner Companies(EPC). The contract will last three yearsand NETMA has an option to extend itfor a further two.

NEW RADAR FACILITY

His Royal Highness (HRH) Prince PhilipDuke of Edinburgh recently opened thenew Crewe Toll radar production facili-ty of BAE SYSTEMS in Edinburgh. HRHwas introduced to BAE SYSTEMSChairman Sir Richard Evans, JonathanFlint, Managing Director of SensorSystems Division and Air Chief Marshal

Accompanying HRH Duke of Edinburgh (fourth from left) on his tourof BAE SYSTEMS new radar production facility were from left : AirChief Marshall Sir John Day, AOC-in-C RAF Strike Command, SirRichard Evans, BAE SYSTEMS Chairman, Jonathan Flint,Managing Director of Sensor Systems Division, Bob Kemp,Marketing Manager and Graham Russell, Operations Director

www.eurofighter.com features a new challenginginteractive section, which includes the gamesBlue Sky One and Mission Planner.

Pictured at a recent signing ceremony is UK MoDEF IPT Leader Alan Woolley and Rolls-RoyceEJ200 Project Director Nick Durham. (Photo:Peter Holman)

MANCHING FAMILY DAY

Around 50,000 people attended a FamilyDay at EADS Germany’s Manching site tocelebrate its 40th anniversary. Visitorsincluded air force personnel from NATOpartners, Manching employees, otherstaff from EADS Germany and EADSCASA, Eurofighter GmbH, Panavia andNETMA. Of the many attractions on dis-play were Development Aircraft (DA) 1and DA6. In addition, several otheraircraft types flew including the Me 108,Me 109, F-4 Phantoms, Tornado and C-160 Transall.

MISSILE LAUNCHES

Eurofighter Typhoon DA7 aircraft hasmade the first launch of an AMRAAM

S/CTV missile (Advanced Medium RangeAir-to-Air Missile Separation/ Control TestVehicle) and of an ASRAAM (AdvancedShort Range Air-to-Air Missile).


Beauty and the Beast. The world’s largest aircraft the Antonov225 is passed by the world’s most agile swing-role fighter.

At the Paris Air Show, an engineer inspects one ofDA7’s EJ200 engines. Ground staff make a valuablecontribution in war and peace, for operational missions or simply breathtaking displays.

Maurizio Cheli and Marco Venanzetti of Alenia Aerospazio tookturns to woo crowds with their displays at last year’s show.

Pictures from Paris

AWARD FOR EXCELLENCEThe UK Institute of MechanicalEngineers recently awarded its ProcessInnovation prize to BAE SYSTEMS for workon Eurofighter Typhoon. This highlyprestigious award is considered a majorbenchmark of success in the world ofengineering.

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All four-nation production lines are busy with upto 35 aircraft at various stages of final assembly.BAE SYSTEMS Instrumented Production

Aircraft (IPA) 1 is very close to being the firstproduction model to fly. It is undergoing a number oftrials as final assembly is completed.

To ensure that production standards are of the highestquality to meet Eurofighter Typhoon specification,manufacturing facilities have been upgraded. Oneexample is EADS CASA’s Getafe facility, which has

been completely overhauled and re-equipped withcutting edge production equipment over the past twoyears.

Eleven major assembly jigs have been designed andinstalled in the wing assembly hangar and are intendedto reflect the latest advances in ergonomics, accessibilityand quality assurance. The installation of the latestfuselage alignment and integration systems, based on

PRODUCTION IN FULL SWING

At EADS’s Manching

facility, PT003

(pictured left) a

German Eurofighter

Typhoon and other

IPAs are being

assembled with the

first flight set for early

2002. Across the four

final assembly lines

more than 35 aircraft

are now being

manufactured.

An IPA takes shape at BAE SYSTEMS Warton.

QUALITY ASSURANCE

optical systems and interferometers, uses amobile surface integration system that is unique.

Responsible for producing right wings for all 620Eurofighter Typhoon on order, EADS CASA seeksa production rate of 5.5 right wings per month andseven aircraft a year. The facility upgrade meansthat production rates could rise to 7 wings amonth and 12 aircraft a year if required.

EADS Germany recently delivered to Getafe aEurofighter Typhoon central fuselage. This eventheralded the start of final assembly of the firstaircraft for the Spanish Air Force, AV ST001, atwin-seater. The following day, EADS CASAreceived its first front fuselage from BAE SYSTEMS and the rear fuselage from AleniaAerospazio.

The first Italian IPA started final assemblyactivities on 3 November 2000 in CaselleNorth (Turin) and is now fully equipped andready to carry out Ground Resonanceand Structural Coupling Testing. Duringthis one month test the aircraft will bestimulated to check the theoretical engineering model and provide data thatwill be used for Series Production Aircraftclearance.

During the Structural Coupling Test, ananalysis will be performed on the interaction between the aircraft itself andthe Flight Control System (FCS) throughmoveable surfaces actuation. IPA2 PowerOn was achieved on 1 September 2001Later that month, IPA2 was moved fromCaselle North to Caselle South in order toundertake further tests. The first set ofProduction Outboard Pylons werereceived by Alenia Aerospazio at itsCaselle Plant on 3 October. IPA2’s firstflight is scheduled for early 2002.

The flurry of activity throughoutEurope will result in increasing numbers of IPA flights in 2002.


Three photos from

Alenia Aerospazio’s

Caselle factory.

Right, engineers

lead the Eurofighter

Typhoon to further

tests before IPA2’s

first flight in

early 2002.

PRODUCTION RATES RISE

RNLAF personnel and procurement officials arepleased with their F-16s, which are operated insquadrons, which undertake multi-role tasks such asair defence, ground attack and reconnaissance. The2010 RNLAF requirement specifies a single aircrafttype, which is multi-role/swing-role, has a low costof ownership and represents the latest technologyavailable.

Recent campaign activities include the UKAmbassadors Dinner in honour of Lord Bach. Senior

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The last issue of VORTEX reported on the flightby Lieutenant General Dick L. Berlijn,Commander-in-Chief, Royal Netherlands Air

Force (RNLAF) in Development Aircraft (DA) 6. Sincethen, The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) hascontinued evaluating a 2010 replacement for its fleetof 138 F-16 aircraft.

In response to the MoD Request for Information(RFI), detailed submissions have been made byEurofighter on the technical, industrial and developmentbenefits of selecting Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.

Great importance is attached to Netherlands industryparticipation and the role it could play in working withEurofighter to develop an Enhanced Eurofighter. TheEurofighter Typhoon has the backing of Europeanindustry through the participation of BAE SYSTEMS,EADS and Alenia Aerospazio in the programme. Thiscould deliver the best strategic industrial solutionfor The Netherlands in the aerospace sector withpartnership arrangements valued in excess of €7 billion.

Many discussions have been held with leading Dutchaerospace companies to outline areas of co-operationwithin the aircraft development programme. To dateMemoranda of Understanding (MoU) have beenagreed or signed with companies such asSTORK/Fokker, Thales Netherlands, NLR, Phillips(EJ200), Urenco (EJ200), Sulzer-Eldim (EJ200),Nedtech (EJ200)and Fokker Elmo (EJ200).

Meetings are taking place to discuss agreements withother potential industrial partners, which should befinalised by mid-November. The recent annualdefence conference in The Hague, the NIID (TheNetherlands Defence Industry Association), providedan excellent forum to make and reinforce relationshipswith Dutch companies. Keynote speaker at the NIIDconference was Lord Bach, the UK Minister forDefence Procurement who focused on the F-16replacement programme.

guests from The Netherlands also attended the function,as did Rainer Hertrich, Co-CEO EADS, Steve Mogford,Chief of Operations and Programmes BAE SYSTEMSand Cesare Gianni President Eurofighter International(EFI).

THE LOGICAL CHOICE...

With The Netherlands

and Norway seeking

replacements for their

F-16 fleets, VORTEX

reviews recent

developments in the

export campaigns that

highlight Eurofighter

Typhoon as the natural

successor to this aircraft.

Lieutenant General Dick L. Berlijn, Commander-in-Chief,Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) and Air CommodorePeter Vordeman were delighted with their visit to EADS CASA Getafe.

...for The Netherlands...

CAMPAIGN EVENTS

DUTCH INDUSTRY INVOLVEMENT

Over the past twelve months, leaders of the fourcustomer nations Tony Blair of Britain, GerhardShröder of Germany, Jose Maria Aznar of Spain, andSilvio Berlusconi of Italy, have lent their support to thecampaign effort by writing to the Netherlands PrimeMinister Wim Kok. Separately, the four customernations have extended an invitation to TheNetherlands to join the NATO Eurofighter TornadoManagement Agency (NETMA).

Summer 2001 at Leeuwarden Air Base Open Day inThe Netherlands was a showcase venue forEurofighter Typhoon to demonstrate its capabilities toRNLAF personnel, MoD procurement officials andmembers of the visiting public. There was a Full ScaleReplica (FSR) of the aircraft, a large stand and thetruck-mounted Eurofighter Typhoon flight simulator.

In the sky above, it was clear that behind any gooddisplay is an excellent pilot in an excellent aircraft.Praise for Eurofighter’s participation came from theOpen Day organisers, in particular the LeeuwardenBase Commander. Just like Volkel Open Day in 2000,Eurofighter Typhoon won over people’s hearts andminds with its unbeatable capabilities and stunning air display.

Vortex - Issue 3 2001 13

...and for Norway

The Eurofighter Typhoon stand at the recent "Our NewDefence" exhibition in Oslo had a Royal visit from HisMajesty King Harald of Norway. The country’s sover-eign took great interest in the Eurofighter Typhoon air-craft and spent several minutes at the display mannedby Anna Saunders from Eurofighter International (EFI)and representatives from the Oslo office. The exhibi-tion lasted for three days and attracted thousands ofvisitors, including Norwegian Air Force officials, politi-cians and journalists.

David Hamilton, Norwegian Campaign Director at EFIsaid on His Majesty’s visit: "King Harald seemed veryinterested in the Eurofighter Typhoon and appreciated

the model he received as a gift before he left."Hamilton said a decision is expected soon regardingNorway’s participation as observers in the develop-ment of Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 3. Norwegianauthorities are also considering an offer to re-openNorway’s liaison office at the NATO Eurofighter andTornado Management Agency (NETMA).

Between sorties in a recent training exercise,Norwegian F-16 pilots and personnel were briefed onthe Eurofighter Typhoon by EADS EurofighterTyphoon Project pilot Chris Worning and DavidHamilton, with help from EFI’s local Norwegian repre-sentative Eyvind Schibbyi. The three-hour briefingwas held at Banak Air Base, north of the Arctic Circlenear Lakselv from where the Norwegian Air Forceconducts annual live firing exercises in mountainranges close by.

Worning tells VORTEX how important this occasionwas: "It was a great opportunity to brief about 80% ofNorwegian Air Force pilots and ground personnel onthe Eurofighter Typhoon, which is the natural successorto the F-16. We had the undivided attention of theaudience, which asked some excellent questionsabout the aircraft."

Norwegian Air Force Intelligence and mission planningofficers also expressed interest in learning more. As aresult, another Eurofighter Typhoon briefing isplanned to address areas such as the Mission Briefingand Debriefing System and Electronic Warfarecapabilities. Separately, another briefing is scheduledto take place at the Air Force base at Örland.

King Harald of Norway is briefed on the EurofighterTyphoon’s capabilities by David Hamilton, Norwegian Campaign Director at EFI.

The Netherlands and Norway require affordable swing-role aircraft to replace from 2010 onwards their currentfleet of F-16s . The optimal solution is Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 3.

NATURAL SUCCESSOR


radars and, if need be, jamming or other counter-measures such as chaff and flares are used to combat the threat. In short, DASS is the EurofighterTyphoon answer for protection against all ground andairborne threats.

Bill Biggin, DASS Business Development Manager atBAE SYSTEMS, tells VORTEX what the systemmeans for pilots and mission planners. "DASS willafford protection to the aircraft against all knownthreats, ground based or airborne. It will be activatedin any situation, from the high intensity combat threatscenarios to the current most likely activities ofpeacekeeping and air space policing."

This self-protection suite is fitted internally on boardthe aircraft, freeing up weapon pylons tobroaden the aircraft’s capabilities.Sensors embedded in the airframeprovide wrap around 360-degreeawareness of incoming threats andautomatically deploy the most suitable countermeasures without pilotintervention.

The passive Electronic SupportMeasures (ESM) system carries outeffective threat recognition and auto-matically activates the most suitableon- or off-board defences. The LaserWarner and active Missile ApproachWarner (MAW) work in harmony with theaircraft’s other sensors. Such powerfulintegration provides timely alerts andthreat identification allowing effectivecountermeasures deployment.

The Electronic Countermeasures (ECM)suite features numerous responses.Jamming measures on-board include acomprehensive range of jammingtechniques. Off board measures includea Towed Decoy that can operate throughthe whole flight envelope, as well aschaff and flares.

Twenty-first century Electronic Warfare (EW)threat environments present clear and shiftingdangers to pilots and their aircraft. VORTEX

looks at Eurofighter Typhoon’s Defensive AidsSubsystem (DASS) which is designed to neutraliseall existing and future threats throughout the aircraft’slife.

The variety and diversity of radio frequency (RF) signals since the end of the Cold War has made theelectronic combat environment more hostile thanever. Thousands of RF signals have to be sifted rapidly to identify hostile sources from the thousandsof benign emissions by equipment such as Terrestrialand Satellite Communications links and Air TrafficControl (ATC).

Threat signals have to be prioritised perhapsbetween enemy surveillance tracking and fire control

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SMembers of the EuroDASS

consortium stand in front of DA2

at BAE SYSTEMS Warton. In the

foreground on the left is Steven

Darch, EuroDASS Production Contract

Manager at BAE SYSTEMS with his

colleague Tim Williams, Eurofighter

Purchasing Manager to his right and

senior Warton DASS and EuroDASS

executives in the background.

Rear Missile Warner Sensor

Flare DispenserChaffDispenser

Avionics Bay

ForwardLookingInfra-Red(FLIR)

Defensive Aids Sub-Systems (DASS)

ESM/ECM SensorsWing Tip Pods

Front MissileWarner Sensor

Towed Decoy

NOBODY DASS IT BETTER!

EFFECTIVE PROTECTION


EuroDASS consortium

Tracing its original formation back to 1987, theEuroDASS consortium comprises lead contractor BAESYSTEMS with partners Elettronica, Indra and EADS.Research funding stemmed from four-nation researchprogrammes and company investment from 1987 to1992. "Initially we self-funded consortium studies todefine the best approach using the best ideas fromeach partner. We then built bench demonstrators toprove concepts," says Biggin at BAE SYSTEMS.

Workshare was done at a Line Replaceable Item (LRI)level rather than at module level, which made thedevelopment process easier to manage. Eurofighterfunding was released in 1992 and the developmentphase ran until the production order was placed withthe consortium.

The €480 million production contract has been award-ed to the EuroDASS consortium of BAE SYS-TEMS, Elettronica and Indra to manufactureDefensive Aids Subsystems (DASS) Line ReplaceableItems (LRI) for the first 103 aircraft. EADS has nowjoined the EuroDASS consortium following Germanparliamentary approval. Deliveries will begin in early2002.

The overall project is managed by BAE SYSTEMSSensor Systems Division design centre at Stanmore.Business Group Director Frank Yuill underlines whatDASS means to the industry. "The contract will secure400 jobs across the EuroDASS consortium partnercompanies over the next four years with a further 550at key subcontractors and is a major move forward inenhancing the capability of the indigenous technologyavailable from the four nations."

Threats are represented on the cockpit multi-functiondisplays giving the pilot the data to make any vitalmanoeuvres and, if required, to override DASS in certain circumstances.

Important development work has been carried out inthe laboratories of the participating companies and ina specially constructed EW test chamber by a BAESYSTEMS team at Warton. Development Aircraft(DA) 4 is involved in a series of trials that started inSpring last year. A modular construction AMES IIthreat generation system supplied by ASDI, partof Amherst, simulates several hundred threatssimultaneously in real time.

Keith Lawton is the Eurofighter Typhoon DASSIntegration and Test Manager at BAE SYSTEMS. "RFparametres are programmable, enabling a wholerange of current and perceived future threats and EWsystem enhancements to be catered for. One of theobjectives of the test series is looking at the interoperability and integration of onboard systems."Further EW test chamber trials are scheduled for thefuture and then once this phase of testing is complete,results will be validated by final flight trials using DA4.

The decision by Germany to participate in the DASSprogramme through EADS means additional fundingwill enable the introduction of a number of ESM andECM specification enhancements for later aircraft versions. Looking to the future, Biggin tells VORTEXthat: "We are also able to perform some risk reductionactivities targeted at the ESM and ECM for EnhancedEurofighter versions enabling us to cater for the anticipated development of threats over the period.Actual details are classified but we are able to provideimprovements to equipment that already gives worldbeating performance."

Further DASS modifications are under considerationin areas such as ensuring protection in an enhancedground attack role and a greater use of digitalelectronics to take advantage of technologicaladvances. "DASS is being offered to export customersas part of the aircraft’s integrated sensor suite. It isbeing offered at a more advanced standard andpotential export customers are impressed with theperformance," says Biggin.

The defensive capabilities of all Eurofighter Typhoonswill benefit from the extensive EW tests carried out atBAE SYSTEMS Warton.

DASS was on display at the Paris Air Show.(Source: Glenn Surtees, BAE SYSTEMS)

INTENSE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

One of the key characteristics of EurofighterTyphoon is its carefree handling capabilitywhich frees pilots from worrying about whether

they are flying within the aircraft’s limits and lets themconcentrate on winning the battle. DA2 has beenengaged in initial flights since May to prove the SpinRecovery System (SRS) and Emergency PowerSystem (EPS) which are required for CarefreeHandling trials scheduled for next year. The EPS wasalso required for a series of engine relight trials thatsupported the Completion of Initial CertificationTesting (CICT) for the EJ200 engine.

However, the main focus of recent DA2 flight testingduring this flying phase was completing the In FlightLoads Survey covering External FuelTanks at the end of last August. Rick tellsVORTEX of one consequence now the sur-vey is finished. "This has enabled us tostart removing the pressure plotting padsdotted all over the aircraft and as a result,removes the restriction on getting theaircraft wet. Previously, if the pressure plot-ting got wet it would freeze at altitude andburst the transducers which were veryexpensive to replace!"

DA2 has been engaged in other develop-ment flights, including Fuel System test-ing with and without external tanks at neg-ative "g" and in climbs and descents, anInert Towed Decoy (ITD) flight up to 7 g,Cockpit Noise and Gore Internal PressureGarment Testing (IPG) testing. Additionally,Air Data System testing was conducted toinvestigate transonic air data, structuralhealth monitoring and baseline handling allat various heights, speeds and g levelsthroughout the flight envelope.

This current flying phase for DA2 ended earlyNovember. DA2 has also completed a fur-ther set of trials involving another ITD flight,

Aircrew Services Package and Pressure Breathingwith g enabled for the first time, as well as ASRAAMflutter and Environmental trials.

DA2 is currently in a work pause to have the latestFlight Control System (FCS) (Phase 3 Release 1),Utility Control System (UCS) (3C Release 2) andAvionics (AVS) (3C-15) software loaded. "This isessentially the same software that will be flownby the four nations air forces when they receive theirfirst aircraft," says Fulton. His colleague Jon Grahamhas also been busy on DA4 as it has recently returnedto the skies following an 18 month lay-up where it wasupgraded and involved in Defensive Aids Subsystems(DASS) ground trials.


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TESTING THE BEST

Rick Fulton, BAE SYSTEMS

Senior Flight Test Engineer

for DA2 and his counterpart

for DA4 Jon Graham, took

time out of their busy schedule

to speak with VORTEX on

developments in their work

for the Eurofighter Typhoon

test programme.

DA2 is now in a work pause so near-operational software can be installedfollowing the completion of the Flight Loads Survey.

FUEL SYSTEMS TESTING

"The main emphasis of this DA4 flyingphase is to develop the radar andweapons system integration ofAMRAAM and ASRAAM," Grahamtells VORTEX.

DA4 flew again at the beginning ofOctober successfully completing itsshakedown flight. Once the necessarypanel and inspections had been com-pleted, DA4 resumed flight testingactivities. These included testing theCAPTOR radar version (DSC 2.3 +XCR’s) and Weapons SystemsIntegration with Avionics softwareAVS3C 12 QU 1.

As part of this, DA4 flies with specialAMRAAM and ASRAAM test missiles,which emulate the operating charac-teristics of live missiles. "This testingshould lead to DA4 carrying out thefirst fully guided firing of an AMRAAMagainst an airborne target at theBenbecula range off North WestScotland in early 2002.”

Other scheduled flights during thiscurrent DA4 flying phase includeGround Proximity Warning System(GPWS) tests and twin seat air-to-air refuelling. A Production StandardElectrical Power Generation Systemhas been fitted to DA4 and willbe tested as an integrated LineReplaceable Unit (LRU) duringflights.

Flight testing is a critical part of theEurofighter Typhoon programme.Other aircraft in the programme havebeen engaged in important activitiestoo, such as EADS’s DA1 that hasbeen involved in extensive air-to-airrefuelling trials. Watch this space foran update in the next issue!


Notable firsts during DA2’s recent flying phase include BAE

SYSTEMS Eurofighter Project Pilot Keith Hartley piloting the

aircraft to a new altitude in Flight 361 and also

to 8.7g in Flight

EADS DA1was involvedin air-to-airrefuelling trials in abusy flighttest programme.

LIVE GUIDED FIRING

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Part of the backbone of British aerospaceengineering, Cobham Plc was the brainchild ofSir Alan Cobham. The engineering group has

six main operating companies primarily active in theaerospace, defence, industrial and communicationsmarkets. Cobham sells approximately £800,000(€1,272,000) of product per shipset on the EurofighterTyphoon programme. Generally, 70% of Cobham’ssales are to overseas customers throughout theworld. Within the company, Chelton Group and FlightRefuelling are the most active in the EurofighterTyphoon programme.

Deputy Chief Executive of Cobham Plc, Allan Cooktells VORTEX what the aircraft programme means tothe company. "Eurofighter Typhoon is an extremelyimportant aspect of Cobham’s long term corporatestrategy. We are recognised as one of the bestaerospace and defence companies in the world andso supplying components and services to the besttactical combat aircraft in the world is a very importantpart of our current and future growth."

Cook, the former BAE SYSTEMS EurofighterTyphoon Managing Director continues, "Cobham hasexport sales in all four nations and so working on theprogramme adds value to our reputation as a global

aerospace company. It is important to remember thatinvolvement in programmes such as Eurofighter helpsCobham develop technology and processes, whichadd value to our company. With the assistance andsupport of the Eurofighter consortium, we haveimproved our own supply chain management."

Indeed the company, like other suppliers, is looking toshorten leadtimes and maximise efficiency from itsown supply chain to pass on benefits to EuropeanPartner Companies (EPCs) and the aircraft pro-gramme as a whole. For Cobham, Cook identifiestangible benefits as "increased revenue, access toEurofighter supply chain and involvement in thepremier fighter aircraft programme in Europe. Non-tangible benefits include increased awareness andutilisation of some leading edge technology, staffdevelopment and the possibility of future businesswith both our work share partners and consortiummembers."

At group level, Cook considers that there are certainmanagerial issues to be resolved in the programme,in particular bureaucracy. However, these are beingovercome as the aircraft programme reaches alevel of maturity moving through the development,production investment and now entering the full-scaleproduction stage. "This has, and will continue, toreduce the risks and non-value added processeswhich have certainly reduced efficiency. The processeshave stabilised and, therefore, we are looking toimprove supply chain efficiencies accordingly," Cooktells VORTEX.

Looking to the future, Cobham is happy with theprogress of negotiations for Enhanced Eurofighteraircraft production and expects revenue streams toincrease with export market success of theEurofighter Typhoon.

VORTEX now homes in on two companies in Cobhamto look at their contribution and the issues they face.

PreviouslyEurofighter TyphoonMD at BAE SYSTEMS AllanCook is Deputy ChiefExecutive of CobhamPlc. This link makes avaluable contributionto EurofighterTyphoon.

COBHAM Plc

Underpinning

Eurofighter Typhoon

programme success is

the wealth of specialist

manufacturing and

technological expertise

in the European

aerospace industry.

VORTEX looks at

the capabilities of

Cobham Plc.

MAXIMISE SUPPLY EFFICIENCY

Tranche 1 aircraft contract is worth £25 million (€40.9million) to FR HFR-HiTEMP. Between 1 July and 12October 2001, FR-HiTEMP delivered 30,666 itemsacross the product range. Lead times vary due to thecomplexity of products, from six months for flexiblecouplings to 15 months for more complex items.

Mike Sharps is Director of Operations at the company."Specifications are very tight and demanding, resulting inthe need to develop equipment to perform outsidepreviously accepted envelopes, for example, muchhigher vibration levels, altitude and climb performancefor fuel pumps."

These design challenges have been overcome by"tightly-knit teams of dedicated engineers workingtogether with the common goal of customersatisfaction, using state-of-the-art computeriseddesign aids, machinery and test equipment," says Sharps.

Many technological advancements have been madeconstituting a large volume of work over several yearsin design, validation, qualification, and productionisation.Eurofighter Typhoon work has also required a moreextensive and rigorous qualification testing processthan other projects the company has undertaken.Capital investments were made in areas such asadditional Computer Numerical Control (CNC)machining and automated Electron Beam (EB)welding equipment.

Sharps envisages changes in the way FR-HiTEMPdoes business to reduce costs in the future and tocontribute towards making the aircraft more com-petitive in the export market. "For example, we areworking with the EPCs and Eurofighter GmbHtowards supplying kits of parts instead of individualLine Replaceable Items (LRI). The savings inadministration costs can be substantial, as adminis-tering one kit part number is simpler than dealing withsay 30 individual LRI part numbers!"

Last September, John Booth and Alison Eland fromEurofighter GmbH visited production sites at SouthMolton, Wimborne and Titchfield to update allFR-HiTEMP employees on the status of theaircraft programme. "The whole team now has arenewed awareness, ownership of, involvementin and commitment to the Eurofighter Typhoonprogramme."


Chelton Electrostatics

Chelton Electrostatics has several production contractswith EADS CASA and Alenia Aerospazio for thesupply of antennae to the Eurofighter Typhoon.Regular monthly deliveries average two antenna sets.The combined value of Tranche 1 antenna contractsfor 147 aircraft plus spare antennae is £2 million(€3.27 million). Manufacturing Director Chris Esplin-Jones tells VORTEX what it means to be a supplier:"Chelton is proud to be selected as a major supplier ofantennae on the Eurofighter Typhoon programme.The range of antennae from UHF through D-Band toMicrowave covers a large proportion of Chelton’sexpertise and we were well placed to provide anntennae in support of the programme."

Nevertheless, the company, like any involved in oneof Europe’s premier technology programmes, facescertain challenges. Eurofighter Typhoon antennae arerequired to survive and maintain functionality in asevere supersonic environment given the performance capabilities of the aircraft. Materialswere selected to ensure antennae survived the hostile environment whilst minimising the degradationof Radio Frequency (RF) signals. "The RF perform-ance of the Microwave MLS/DME-P was criticallyspecified, which gave rise to an intense developmentprogramme to achieve compliance," says Esplin-Jones. General design problems were overcomeusing a PEEK material for the antenna radome,which afforded excellent reliability and good RF performance.

FR-HiTEMP

FR-HiTemp, under its former name Power & Control,was acquired last year from BAE SYSTEMS byCobham and has been integrated into the group’sFlight Refuelling division. The company manufacturesa total of 259 unique parts, making it the largestsupplier by number of components, which includepumps, valves, flexible couplings and gimbals. The

In addition to companies throughout the world, CobhamPlc has a strong manufacturing base in Britain.

Cobham Plc is amajor UK supplierto the Eurofighter

Typhoon.

EXCELLENT RF PERFORMANCE

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS

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I would say that, in my case, becoming a test pilot hasbeen the natural consequence of having been a fighterpilot. This is a vocation that I have always beenidentified with since I was very small.

VORTEX: What do you like in the EurofighterTyphoon aircraft?

Alfonso de Castro: On the outside and inside it is abeautiful aircraft that hooks and attracts you. I canonly highlight the fantastic characteristics of thismachine: Eurofighter Typhoon’s superb thrust andengine performances really hit home. Its agility andgreat manoeuvrability gives you the sensation of realpower.

Due to the attraction that most of the pilots feel for thisaircraft, I would have given it a woman's name, maybesome Greek goddess’s name like "Athena."

VORTEX: Could you please describe a "typical"day as test pilot for EADS CASA?

Alfonso de Castro: I know that it is difficult to believebut in Flight Operations, for luck or misfortune, typicaldays do not exist. Nevertheless, all the flight tests areprogrammed with the same routine as in most of thetest centres. All the activities begin with a meteorologicalbriefing and with the description of the status of theflight area. Subsequently, engineers responsible forflight activity analyse the tests that have to be carriedout and ensure they are included on the flight testcard. All the technical people working on the aircraftsystems attend this meeting, as well as those thatfollow the progression of the test in real time. In thesame way, at the end of the sortie, the results of theflight are analysed and debriefed. I would like tohighlight the indispensable task of my ground team.They are hardly ever in the media but are on my sidein each flight phase. My ground team support me andallow me to enjoy one of the most beautiful machinesbuilt by man.

VORTEX: Do you make any other special preparations?

Alfonso de Castro was born in Albacete, Spain in1958. He joined the Spanish Air Force Academy in1978 and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in1981. After completing a fighter pilot course in 1982,de Castro was assigned to the Spanish Air Force’s11th Wing at Valencia and flew for 5 years as a com-bat pilot in the Mirage III.

In 1991, de Castro followed a course in Stability,Control & Handling Qualities at the International TestPilots School in Bedford, UK. One year later he beganthe Test Pilot Course at the French Test Pilot School(EPNER) graduating in mid-1993.

From 1993 to 1999, he was assigned to the SpanishAir Force Test Centre where he worked as a test pilotand as Chief of Operations and Chief test pilot overseven years in many different programs for aircraftsuch as the F-18, Mirage F-1, CASA 101, PILLAN andFALCON-20. In 1996, he returned to Bedford to do acourse in Avionics Systems Flight Testing at IbisAerosystems Training. De Castro was a member ofseveral working groups on Eurofighter Typhoon devel-opment in areas including cockpit, simulators and pilottraining.

In 1999, de Castro started work as a test pilot for theSpanish aircraft manufacturer CASA, now known asEADS CASA, participating in different test flightprogrammes for C-101, C-212, CN-235, C-295aircraft, as well as Eurofighter Typhoon. Currently theSpanish Project Pilot for the programme, de Castrohas flown dozens of different types of aircraft,accumulating more than 4,000 flight hours so far in hiscareer.

Alfonso de CastroAlfonso de CastroEADS CASAEADS CASAEurofighterEurofighterTTyphoon Projectyphoon ProjectTTest Pilotest Pilot

VORTEX: What inspired you to become a testpilot?

Alfonso de Castro: When dedicating your life to acertain activity you have to bear in mind that it is notalways due to one particular fact, but the resultof different things that are not always easy to control.


Alfonso de Castro: I make sure I’m in top form priorto the flight. This is very important so that the work inthe air is as productive as possible to take develop-ment forward and pleasant at the same time.

VORTEX: What is it like flying with senior AirForce officers in DA6?

Alfonso de Castro: It is a great responsibility and anhonour to fly with each one. Up to now all the officersthat have had the opportunity to fly the Spanishprototype have expressed their satisfaction. I haveheard comments such as fantastic, marvellous, gor-geous and not just about how the aircraft looks!Eurofighter Typhoon technology is actually superior toany other aircraft ever flown.

VORTEX: How do you plan the flight when you areaccompanying a pilot from an export country’sevaluation team?

Alfonso de Castro: What I attempt with the flight isto convince the pilot that Eurofighter Typhoon is theright answer to the specific needs of their Air Force. Ialways emphasise that the aircraft provides all theperformance required, especially its multi-role /swing-role capabilities that enable pilots to adapt theaircraft to any combat circumstance. After the flight, Ipresent the opinion that the guest pilot has expressedabout the Eurofighter Typhoon, being sure that he haspreviously received all the information necessary forsuch an evaluation. Also these flights are test flightswith a test objective. This objective of course shouldalso reflect what the customer requests, somethingwe’ve always been able to achieve.

VORTEX: What are the main events of the DA6programme you were recently involved in?

Alfonso de Castro: Towards the end of this year wasvery intense. We were scheduled to complete theoperational tests of the Direct Voice Input (DVI), theMulti-function Information Distributions System(MIDS), the In-flight refuelling, as well as continuewith the flight controls phase 2B-2 tests.

VORTEX: What do you do in your free time?

Alfonso de Castro: I like outdoor activities that I cando with my family and friends. In particular, I like totorture myself with golf, which is more than just asport. In fact, it is a way of life for me as my handicapis seven. On one hand, this is disconcerting but on theother, I get to know countless numbers of people thatdefinitively have not been born to dominate thegame...!

“My ground team support me and allow meto enjoy one of the most beautifulmachines built by man.”

DA6 is flown by senior air force personnel of potentialexport countries accompanied by EADS CASA pilots,including Alfonso de Castro.

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As the first Initial Production Aircraft (IPA)prepares itself for flight, Eurofighter GmbH andits partner, Eurofighter Simulation Systems

GmbH (ESS), are now working towards the delivery ofthe first elements of the aircraft's training system.Known as the Aircrew Synthetic Training Aids(ASTA) system, Eurofighter Typhoon's pilot trainingsystem is the most sophisticated and wide-rangingmilitary aircraft training system ever developed.

"We have now formed the Integrated Project Team(IPT) at Manching and they are busy undertaking thedevelopment work to meld together the aircraft specificelements with the simulation specific systems,"explains David Spooner from ESS.

The ASTA programme is being managed by ESS.Based in Unterhaching, ESS comprises ThalesTraining & Simulation (TTS), Meteor, Indra andCAE/STN Atlas ARGE. These companies representUK, Italy, Spain and Germany respectively. This multi-national flavour is reflected in the ESS Board with theManaging Director coming from Indra, the TechnicalDirector from TTS, the Procurement Director fromMeteor and the Commercial Director from ARGE.

ESS is responsible for providing the simulationexpertise and equipment which is embodied in theso-called Simulation Specific Systems (SSS).Through the IPT, the SSS is to be integrated withthe Weapon-system Specific System (WSS) which issupplied by the Eurofighter Partner Companies(EPC). The latter includes such elements such asflight control laws, sensor parameters and displayslogic.

"ASTA is a major programme in its own right," saysSpooner "and not only includes the simulators but thecomplete training infrastructure in which they operate.This infrastructure includes networks to link trainingequipment on a single base and options to linkequipment between bases in different countries."

The ASTA equipment will be built in three tranchesand include 18 Full Mission Simulators (FMS), nineCockpit Trainers/Interactive Pilot Stations (CT/IPS) aswell as Deployable Cockpit Trainers (DCT). The latterrequirement is for four systems for the UK. Together,this equipment will be operated at 12 Main OperatingBases (MOB) within the four partner air forcescountries.

With such a major programme, the spin-off work forspecialist contractors is considerable. A joint teamfrom CAE and Sogitec will be supplying the computerimage generation system whilst the visual display willbe supplied by SEOS. Other items will be awardedover the coming months.

Of the 18 FMS devices, six will go to the UK and foureach to Germany, Italy and Spain. With the CT/IPSdevices, Germany will take four, the UK and Spain twoeach and Italy will have one.

According to David Spooner, the CT/IPS devices areunusual in that as well as replicating EurofighterTyphoon, the devices can also replicate a range ofother aircraft types to simulate different threats. Thisallows the Eurofighter Typhoon pilot to stack his or herskills, as well as the capabilities of the aircraft, againstdifferent aircraft types thereby making training thatmuch more realistic.

The complexity of the training equipment withinthe ASTA package makes it some of the mostsophisticated ever built. The FMS for example, is ableto replicate the full gamut of tactical scenarios toallow pilots to operate in multi-threat, multi-aircraftenvironments at any time of the day and in allweathers.

These scenarios cover the full range of weapons andprofiles ever likely to be encountered by the pilot. This

ASTASTAATOTAL TRAINING INFRASTRUCTURE

TRAINING ACROSS COUNTRIES

BROAD THREAT REPLICATION

HIGH FIDELITY

understand the enthusi-asm shown by all thetest pilots, who haveflow the aircraft to dateand I envy those in thefront line who will con-vert to the aircraft in thecoming years."

Accompanying Sir Peteron his tour of BAESYSTEM’s facility wasRoss Bradley the company’s ManagingDirector of Eurofighter."For the Chief of AirStaff, a major customer,to praise the aircraft theway he has done is atremendous boost toeveryone on the pro-

gramme." Sir Peter’s itinerary included avisit round the Eurofighter Typhoon FinalAssembly plant seeing up close progresson the RAF’s first aircraft which entersservice later this year.

IRIS-T INTEGRATIONAPPROVAL

Late last December,the parliamentarycommittee of theGerman Bundestagapproved the Ministryof Defence’s requestto release DM120Million (€61.4 million)for integrating theIRIS-T (Infra-RedImaging System –Tail/Thrust VectorControlled) short


training environment is vital to provide the swing-roleEurofighter Typhoon pilot with a realistic and high-fidelity training challenge worthy of the world's mostcapable training aircraft.

Over the next decade, ESS will be working hard tomeet Ready For Training (RFT) dates within the fourpartner air forces.

This major simulation programme is likely to be boost-ed in the future as export customers order aircraft andopt for training equipment to support them.

NEWS JUST IN...

AIR CHIEF FLIES DA4

Britain’s Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air ChiefMarshal Sir Peter Squire flew the twin-seat Development Aircraft (DA) 4 duringhis recent visit to BAE SYSTEMS’s UKfacility at Warton. Sir Peter became thefirst non-RAF test pilot to fly in thisEurofighter Typhoon. In the 60-minuteflight, Sir Peter experienced first hand theswing-role aircraft’s supersonic, super-cruise and carefree handling features.CAS flies on a regular basis in a variety ofRAF aircraft to remain current on frontlineissues.

After touching down at Warton, Sir Peterspoke about taking the controls of DA4. "Iam delighted to have flown EurofighterTyphoon, which will provide the backboneof the RAF combat capability for the next30 years. The aircraft has remarkableexcess thrust and agile handling charac-teristics. After just one sortie, I can easily

range air-to-air missile onto German andItalian Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.

Through a contract between NATOEurofighter and Tornado ManagementAgency (NETMA) and Eurofighter GmbH,the consortium will subcontract integrationsupport work to BGT, the missile’s primecontractor. The Bundestag’s decision is amilestone in the development of the IRIS-T and will contribute to achieving anunbeatable advantage in future air-to-aircombat.

UK Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir PeterSquire recently had his first flight in DA4.

BGT’s IRIS-T fitted to EADSDeutschland’s DA1 aircraft.

Some IRIS-T Characteristics...Dimensions:Length: < 3 mDiameter: 127 mmWeight: < 90 Kg

-Direct-hit missile with pinpoint accuracy-Large warhead with high kill probability -The imaging IR seeker provides +/- 90 degrees look-angle-Intelligent image processing-Optimised for use with helmet-mounted cueing system-Lock-on after launch capabilities-High resistance to IRCM and DIRCM-Fully compatible with existing Sidewinderinterfaces

Eurofighter Typhoon will have the world’smost sophisticated and capable total

traning system ever fielded.

COMPETITION

TAIL

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ORNER

TEAM VORTEX SPORTSFollowing on from last issue’s reported sight-ing of a scooter called The Vortex in Italy byone of the Vortex team, a second coincidencehas cropped up in California. Team VortexSports is a retail concept extending to all typesof sporting goods. Elton Lobas runs TeamVortex Sports in California for a Japanese customer. The company recently signed adeal with the Kelly Bike Co., which now produces bikes branded Vortex! These bikesare tough and rugged and designed withunbeatable capabilities, yet easy to ride andgreat to look at! Now does that remind you ofanything else?

Kelly Bikes was started in 1986 by ChrisKelly, the company that bears his name hastransitioned in the last seven years to a highend boutique manufacturer using state of theart materials and advanced designs for differ-ent bikes, including cruisers and mountainbikes. Readers interested in learning more,should visit www.teamvortexsports.com andwww.kellybike.com

Win a Eurofighter Typhoon 2002 Calendarin...THE VORTEX CAPTION CHALLENGE!What is Keith Hartley saying to ChrisWorning...?

In 25 words or fewer, write a caption for this photo. Themost entertaining caption will win a fantastic 2002Eurofighter Typhoon Calendar. Please fax entries to+44 1264 356 974 by 1 March 2002.

Word Search Comptetion Issue 2 - 2001VORTEX thanks everyone who entered.Congratulations :Aldo Ferretto Alenia Aeronatics Division

Strada Malanghero 17

10072 Caselle Torinese

Italy

Mr. Ferretto wins a 1:48 scale model of aEurofighter Typhoon.

Team Vortex Sports is aregistered trademark.Copyright 1998, 2000.Elton Lobas

news from eurofighter - exetelhome.exetel.com.au/jwcook65/resource/vortex-2001-3.… · ·...

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