A shakey start for the Eurofighter

The World's Most Advanced Fighter Aircraft

When deliveries start in the year 2001 it will be the world's most advanced fighter aircraft. Only the American F-22, which will enter service several years later and cost more than twice as much, will be superior.

The Eurofighter will replace the RAF's Jaguars, Tornado F3s and now defunct Phantoms from the year 2001. Britain will buy 232 aircraft, Germany 180, Italy 130 and Spain 87.

Britain has a 37% stake in the project, with Germany 31%, Italy 20%, and Spain 12%. It will cost Britain £15.4 billion but secure a minimum of 20,000 direct and a further 20,000 indirect jobs.

It has huge export potential - Norway and the United Arab Emirates have already shortlisted it. Saudi Arabia and Australia are also keenly interested as well as countries in the Asia/Pacific region.

Eurofighter is designed as a highly agile multi-role aircraft, capable of ground-attack as well as its primary air defence role. It is built with 13 storage points, three of which can take external fuel tanks.

Highly agile fighter

For air defence it is likely to fly with up to six medium-range and two short-range air-to-air missiles. For ground attack missions, it will usually carry six air-to-surface bombs and missiles with six air-to-air missiles, while the 27mm cannon is carried internally.

Only 15% of the aircraft is made of metal. Some 70% is made of carbon fibre composites and 12% of glass reinforced plastic to give structural strength and durability with a low weight penalty.

It is an aerodynamically-unstable aircraft requiring on-board computers to make thousands of calculations every second to keep it in the air by controlling the flaps, rudder and front "canard" wings. By using the full natural forces of gravity and energy, it is a much more manoeuvrable aircraft.

The highly automatised single-seat cockpit includes a direct voice input system and a control stick known as "Hands-on-Throttle-and-Stick" that allows the pilot to undertake about two dozen fingertip operations.

Powered by two new EJ200 engines, it has a top speed of twice the speed of sound and can operate between the limits of nine times the force of gravity and minus three times gravity in tight turns and other manoeuvres.

Eurofighter has the most advanced radar for long-range detection and acquisition of targets both in the air and on the ground. The radar will allow pilots to detect and track numerous targets simultaneously and then to fire at enemy aircraft well beyond visual range.

It is also equipped with an infra-red search and track system that will enable pilots to spot the enemy by detecting minute differences in temperature between the target and its background, making "stealth" aircraft visible. As it is a passive system, it can operate without giving away the aircraft's position to the enemy.

Talks to Save Troubled Eurofighter