On this day in engineering history, the Eurofighter Typhoon
made its maiden flight over the skies of Bavaria.
The twin-engine, multi-role jet fighter was flown by Peter Weger, chief test
pilot for the German aerospace firm Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (MBB). Weger's aircraft
was only a development version, but the consortium of companies that backed the
agile aircraft rejoiced in its success. Today, development of the Typhoon is managed
by Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug, a Munich-based venture owned by BAE Systems,
Alenia Aerospazio, the EADS Deutschland Aerospace Group, and EADS Spain.
The Future European
Fighter Aircraft (FEFA) Program
In 1983, the United Kingdom,
France, Italy, Germany
and Spain
started the Future European Fighter Aircraft (FEFA) program to develop a
jet-fighter with short take-off and landing (STOL) and beyond visual range
(BVR) capabilities. Although France
later withdrew from the FEFA project to pursue development of the Dassault Rafale, a
carrier-based aircraft, the other member countries stayed in formation. Disagreements about funding, costs, and the selection of a radar system ruffled
many feathers, but the first Typhoon went aloft on March 27, 1994. Today, the
plane is known as the Eurofighter 2000, EF 2000, and Eurofighter Typhoon.
Some Assembly
Required
Unlike other aircraft, the Eurofighter Typhoon is produced
on four separate assembly lines. Each partner company assembles its own nation's
aircraft, but manufactures different parts. Britain's BAE System's makes the
front fuselage, canopy, dorsal spine, tail fine, inboard flaperons, and part of
the rear fuselage section. Italy's
Alenia Aerospazio makes the left wing, outboard flaperons, and part of the rear
fuselage section. Germany's
Deutschland builds the main center fuselage. The company's Spanish counterpart,
EADS Spain, makes the right wing and the leading edge slats.
Radar Reduction
The Eurofighter Typhoon isn't a stealth fighter, but the
project's design engineers have reduced the frontal aspect of the airplane's
radar cross section (RCS). For example, the EF 2000 has inlets that are
designed to conceal the front of the jet engine, usually a strong target for
radar. Other parts of the Eurofighter 2000 use highly-swept designs to reflect
radar energy away from the front of the plane. The Typhoon's Euroradar CAPTOR
radar system is relatively easy to detect, however, and the use of radar
absorbent materials (RAM) along leading edges and intake edges isn't enough to
make the Typhoon a true stealth fighter.
Resources:
http://www.fighter-planes.com/info/eurofighter_ef2000.htm
http://www.battle-fleet.com/pw/his/Eurofighter_Typhoon_Europian_Fighter_Aircraft.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurofighter_Typhoon
http://thetartanterror.blogspot.com/2006/11/peter-weger-1943.html
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