German Two-Seat Aircraft Last Of 144 Planes

With the handover of GT015, a German two-seat Eurofighter aircraft, the final aircraft out of Tranche 1 destined for the four partner Air Forces of Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom in the core program has been delivered on March 20, 2008.

"This delivery represents a major milestone in the core program. With 144 series production delivered (including five to Austria), the Air Forces are rapidly accumulating flying hours and gathering experience with the system," said Aloysius Rauen, Chief Executive Officer Eurofighter GmbH. "The nations already operate Eurofighter Typhoon in the air defence role. The Royal Air Force is preparing for the first multi-role task of Eurofighter Typhoon, deploying the system over long distances and training the air and ground crews for combat. And Austria, the first export customer, is planning to start operational air surveillance tasks with the upcoming European Soccer Championship. This is outstanding proof for the maturity of the system."

First deliveries to the four Air Forces began in Summer 2003. Eurofighter Typhoon officially entered into service with the Air Forces in Spring 2004. Italy was the first nation to operate Eurofighter Typhoon in the air defence role, beginning in 2005. Today, 10 units at six air bases fly the aircraft, and the fleet surpassed the 34,000 flying hour mark in March 2008.

"2008 is set to be a landmark year for the Eurofighter program. 38 aircraft of Tranche 2 are in final assembly with deliveries to start early summer," Rauen said. "Later this year, the work based on the Main Development Contract will be concluded, and the contract signature for Tranche 3 is envisaged between the nations and industry."

FMI: www.eurofighter.com