Eurofighter progress
Production
of the multinational Eurofighter Typhoon is now under way at BAE Systems' Samlesbury
facility in northern England. Up to 15 aircraft can be accommodated at any one
time in a totally refurbished final assembly facility, which is equipped with
laser alignment technology, nose-in docking bays, raised mezzanine flooring,
and hydraulic systems. The investment will reduce build time and set future
standards for production of fighter aircraft, according to BAE. In September,
the laser aligned mating of the front, center, and rear fuselage of the first
production aircraft for the RAF took place. The aircraft is due to be flown
next August, with delivery to the service in June 2002.
Production of the multinational Eurofighter Typhoon is now under way at BAE Systems' Samlesbury facility in northern England.
The Eurofighter is a joint product of the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain. The countries have ordered a total of 620 aircraft. Production go-ahead was given in 1998. The first EADS (European Aeronautic Space and Defense Company) production center fuselage was delivered on time from Germany to BAE. This month, EADS will begin final assembly on the first of 180 aircraft for the German Air Force at its Manching, Bavaria, plant, with the building of 87 Spanish production aircraft starting next year. Manufacture may be extended as the Eurofighter company reports that the Typhoon shows an "extremely encouraging" export potential.
By mid-October, 38 test pilots had flown with seven development aircraft in some 1400 test flights, totaling more than 1100 flying hours. Recent test flights include those using flight-control software standard 2B/2; engine certification fly-ing; bomb pit drop tests; high-temperature environmental trials including evaluation of a new liquid air-conditioning system for the crew; and icing trials on the ground and in the air. Missile firing, drop launches, and in-flight refueling tests have been carried out. Ground tests have also included the major airframe fatigue test of 18,000 simulated flying hours three times that of the contractually agreed minimum of 6000 flying hours for the production aircraft.
According to Eurofighter, integrated product teams focus on lean manufacturing methods and employing a large amount of automation, such as CATIA for designing and NC programming.
Based on the single-source principle, the four partners share
production. In Italy, Alenia is responsible for the left wing, outboard flaperons,
and the second- and third-stage aft fuselage; in the UK, BAE has responsibility
for the front fuselage, canards, windshield and canopy, dorsal spine, vertical
stabilizer, inboard flaperons, and stage one of the aft fuselage; CASA in Spain
looks after the right wing and leading edge slats, while EADS in Germany is
responsible for the central fuselage. The four assembly lines are at Casselle
(near Turin), Italy; Warton, UK; Getafe (near Madrid), Spain; and Manching,
Germany. The UK has the largest workshare percentage (37%), followed by Germany
(30%), Italy (19%), and Sp
ain
(14%). Production will be by three tranches. The first will see 148 aircraft
completed with 363 engines built between 2001 and 2005; tranche 2, 236 aircraft
and 519 engines between 2005 and 2010; and tranche 3, 236 aircraft and 500 engines
between 2010 and 2014.
Two-seat Eurofighter Typhoon.
Among the many items of equipment and technology that comprise the Eurofighter is the Martin Baker Mk. 16A ejection seat. It is constructed of light alloys and also makes use of carbon fiber. The seat is integrated with an onboard Molecular Sieve Oxygen Generation System (MSOGS), anti-g and nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) systems, plus interfaces for helmet-mounted systems. It has a narrow head box to aid pilot vision. The seat's deployment and function outside the aircraft is computer controlled. The pilot's sole action in seat deployment is to pull the firing handle. A rocket motor is then fired to lift the seat clear of the aircraft, and aerodynamic surfaces are deployed for stability. Airspeed and altitude are measured, and the information is fed into a digital microprocessor together with acceleration information. The computer then determines the safest sequence and timing of events to deploy the parachute.
Stuart Birch
