• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Successful Maiden-Flight of first German Series Production Eurofighter

Munich, le 08 avril 2002

The first German series production Eurofighter (IPA 3 Instrumented Production Aircraft) took off for a successful Maiden Flight today at European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) Military Aircraft's Manching plant and touched the ground again safely 31 minutes later.

At the controls were EADS Eurofighter-project test-pilot, Christian "Chris" Worning, and Lt Col Robert Hierl of the German Official Test Center WTD 61, both smiling happily after a very positive flight.

Aloysius Rauen, President and CEO of EADS Military Aircraft, congratulated the pilots and all the EADS Eurofighter-team colleagues who had put all their power and energy in that milestones creation.

"Since Eurofighters first prototype's first flight here in Manching we all have gone through many single steps and a lot of effort in the whole program to come up with todays positive results. IPA 3's successful Maiden-Flight marks an important milestone before delivery of the first standard aircraft start in the second half of 2002."

Eurofighter is the world's most advanced, twin-engined, high performance multi-role/swing-role fighter aircraft developed and produced in a unique cooperation program by the partner nations Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. Managed by the NATO agency NETMA on the governmental side, Europe's leading aerospace companies EADS in Germany and Spain, Alenia Aeronautica/Finmeccanica in Italy, and BAE Systems in the UK are partnered in the Eurofighter industrial consortium.

In January 1998 the umbrella contract for the production of 620 aircraft plus an option of further 90 aircraft was signed. The German Air Force is to receive 180 aircraft. During 2002 first aircraft will be delivered to Fighter Wing 73 "Steinhoff" at Laage (near Rostock) for flight instructors training.

By early April 2002, the seven prototypes of all partner companies have performed nearly 2000 safe flights without any incidents.

Being equipped with a telemetry-system the first IPA standard aircraft will be used in flight test, recording and transmitting every manouver and thousands of other technical parameters to the ground station for further evaluation.

With revenues amounting to EUR 30.8 billion and a workforce of 103,000, EADS European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company is the largest European aerospace company and the No 2 worldwide. It is active in the sectors of commercial aircraft, helicopters, space, military transport and combat aircraft as well as defence technology and services. Among others, EADS holds 80 percent of Airbus, 75 per cent of the space company Astrium, 100 percent of the helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter, 43 percent in the Eurofighter programme and 37,5 percent in the missile company MBDA.

Your contact:

Military Aircraft
Wolfram Wolff
Phone: +49-(0)89-607 25711
Mobile: +49- (0)171 4214490
Fax: +49-(0)89-607 22455
e-mail: wolfram.wolff@m.eads.net