EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON DELIVERS 300,000 RELIABLE FLYING HOURS

USPA NEWS - EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON DELIVERS 300,000 RELIABLE FLYING HOURS
438 aircraft in service / 7 customers/ 22 operating units. Backbone of five European Air Forces / Combat proven . Rome - Italy, July, 17, 2015

Eurofighter Typhoon has now achieved more than 300,000 flying hours since the entry-into-service of its worldwide fleet. Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH confirmed the milestone today adding that, with 571 aircraft ordered and 438 delivered, the programme has “delivered unprecedented levels of reliability“.

Alberto Gutierrez, Chief Executive Officer of Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, said: “Today marks another major milestone for the Eurofighter Typhoon. No other military fast jet in the world can match the reliability of this aircraft. We are extremely proud that, on deployment, on Quick Reaction Alert, and day in, day out, the Eurofighter can be counted on to do what is needed.

“Right now in the Baltics States, the Eurofighter Typhoon is delivering protection to Europe with the UK, Spain, Germany and Italy all having done tours of duty there, and we will continue to ensure the Typhoon is ready and available for any mission.“

The performance of the Eurofighter Typhoon was confirmed by a recent Whitehall Report published by the Royal United Services Institute which said: “The Eurofighter´s combination of high thrust-to-weight ratio, manoeuvrability at all speeds, 65,000-foot service ceiling, supercruise capability, powerful radar and large missile load ensures that it outclasses any currently operational fighter aircraft in the world with the exception of the US F-22 Raptor.“

Gutierrez said: “Our capability enhancement programme will continue to deliver when others have peaked. What´s really exciting for us, is it is now being recognised that the Eurofighter Typhoon offers a genuine “˜force multiplier´ effect when operated alongside other aircraft. We have the kinetic effect and flexibility to put both pace and muscle into the mix. Add in our reliability record over 300,000 hours of flying and you can see that we are confident about the future.“

In recognition of the milestone, the CEO said: “Our congratulations go to all the air forces who have achieved this target, to the thousands of employees across Europe who are involved in the development, manufacturing, and supply chain - as well as to all the companies who support us on a daily basis.“ The first 5,000 flying hours were achieved in November 2005. 10,000 hours came in August 2006 and 20,000 in May 2007. By August 2008, the Eurofighter Typhoon fleet had surpassed 50,000 hours and 100,000 flying hours was reached in January 2011.

In July 2014 the consortia announced that the 250,000 flying hour milestone had been reached while, at the same time, Eurojet, the makers of the Typhoon´s EJ200 engines, celebrated half a million flying hours on the aircraft.

In the course of these flying hours, Eurofighter has demonstrated close to 100 per cent availability in numerous international deployments including: Malaysia; the United Arab Emirates; the USA; and India.

The global Eurofighter fleet now comprises 22 operating units with locations in Europe, the South Atlantic and the Middle East.