Juste pour info, c'est frais d'aujourd'hui:
Extension of the Eurofighter-Capabilities for the Tranche 2
On 29 March, the General Manager of NETMA (NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency)Peter Worrall and Eurofighter GmbH CEO Aloysius Rauen signed a contract to extend the capabilities of Eurofighter Typhoon. The contract is officially called “First Batch of Enhancements for the Eurofighter” and clears the roadmap for integrating new functionalities in the aircraft of the upcoming Tranche 2.
The signed contract covers the so called Phase 1 Enhancement for Tranche 2 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. It will mainly focus on air-to-surface capabilities and communication improvements. These Phase 1 Enhancement will include the integration of new weapons like Paveway IV and the EGBU-16 (Enhanced Guided Bomb Unit) alongside integrating a Laser Designator Pod (LDP) into Tranche 2 aircraft. Moreover, the Human Machine Interface will receive performance upgrades required for the simultaneous Swing Role operation. These upgrades allow the pilots to continue a bomb run while at the same time fight air attacks by minimizing the pilot’s workload in complex air warfare scenarios. Further extension of the MIDS performance (Multifunctional Information and Distribution System) is a substantial contribution to this objective.
The new contract is also the enabler for the separately contracted full digital integration of the new air-to-air weapon IRIS-T, in service with Germany, Italy and Spain. In the upcoming Phase 2 Enhancement, Eurofighter Typhoon of Tranche 2 will receive additional functionalities. The Eurofighter consortium plans to start work on the respective proposal in the second half of 2007. It will mainly focus on the integration of new weapons probably including standoff weapons like Taurus. The same day, EADS CASA delivered the Eurofighter SS011 (Spanish Single-seater) to the Spanish Air Force, the first Block 5 aircraft that represents the latest and last production standard of Tranche 1.