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Aviation History
1990
1990 - 0026.PDF
EUROFIGHTER FIGHTS BACK With question marks still facing the European Fighter Aircraft, Guy Norris looks at the progress of the programme so far and sets the scene for the continuing debates over its future. T he European Fighter Aircraft (EFA) is "very much alive", according to Gerrie Willox, managing director of programme co-ordinator Euro- fighter Jagflugzeug. "The programme is going quite well, and the front fuselage is beginning to look like a real aircraft," says Willox, who is becoming used to defending the troubled four-nation fighter programme. Despite the misgivings surrounding the long-delayed radar decision and its potential effects on the programme, the facts tend to support Eurofighter's confidence that it will have the first prototype flying by the end of next year. Almost a third of the initial equipment contracts needed to support the basic prototypes (without mission avionics and radar) have been awarded by Euro- fighter, representing almost 100 individual items. Around 30% of these have been an nounced and are represented, along with contracts awarded by the EFA engine consor tium Eurojet, on the diagram, P 26). Eurofighter says that, although only around 30% of the initial contracts have been awarded, it has recommended selection of 75% of the total equipment requirements to the NATO European Fighter Management Agency. "The ordering system is building up rapidly," says Willox, adding "The bulk will be ordered by the middle of next year." Equipment will be built into the four prototypes now under construction by the Eurofighter member companies, comprising Aeritalia (AIT), British Aerospace (BAe), CASA and MBB, for initial aerodynamic testing. The front fuselage halves of the first prototype, P01, have been mated at BAe Warton, and the first wing skinning is being
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