Eurofighter Has Concluded the Cold Environmental Trials Campaign in Sweden
(Source: EADS CASA; issued March 10, 2005)
MADRID --- EADS Defence and Security in Spain has announced the successful conclusion of the Eurofighter Cold Environmental Trials campaign, carried out in North Sweden during approximately three months.
This campaign has worth the verification of the operative capabilities and perfect behaviour of this weapon system at extreme weather conditions.
Last evening, around 14:00 Hrs., the Instrumented Production Aircraft IPA 4 landed at EADS CASA Defence and Security facilities at Getafe. The flight from Sweden has been carried out in two sections, staying overnight at Laage (Germany). Eurofighter Test Pilot Ignacio Lombo has been responsible of taking the aircraft back home.
“We are very proud to announce the complete success of this campaign” said yesterday Fernando Plaza, Programmes Director, “we have completely fulfilled the CET programme and positively evaluated the capabilities of the Eurofighter in such extreme conditions. During the campaign the aircraft and its systems have showed an excellent behaviour with an exceptional low rate of failures. From Spain we have followed step by step the proceeding of the trials and strongly supported the team deployed at Vidsel, even though they have hardly needed our help. All have been more than efficient and have demonstrated to be able to react in difficult situation, fact that confirms that we rely on great professionals. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Authorities and Institutions that have offered their support and contributed to the success of the campaign”.
On December, 9th the aircraft was deployed at Vidsel's Trials Centre, located only 80 Km. below the Artic Polar Circle. Together with the aircraft, 55 people, among which EADS CASA engineers, mechanics, technicians and support team, as well as ITP and INTA representatives, have made of Vidsel their home base during this long period of time. The Spanish Air Force has also significantly contributed to the campaign visiting Vidsel several times to take part in several trials.
At the beginning of February the temperature was surprisingly mild, but during the last four weeks Sweden has reached the expected extreme cold temperatures and this has allowed completing the programme on schedule.
During the campaign IPA4 has carried out more than 45 operations, including 17 flights, achieving a rate exceeding that of the regular Flight Test Fleet. Some trials have been carried out at temperatures between –25ºC and –31ºC. The range of testing has varied from several Power Up, following different procedures (self-controlled and assisted), to the use of the Warning Alert mode (consisting in two hours operations only with the APU), simulation of failures of the environmental control system in flight, maximum landing weight (18.800 Kg.), opening and closure of the external panels and handling of external stores, as well as the evaluation of general systems and avionics behaviour. Another aim has been the evaluation of the capabilities offered by the new aircrew equipment assembly of the Eurofighter pilots in these extreme conditions.
Furthermore the engineers and the pilots have carried out some additional trials, not planned at the beginning but necessary to the ordinary progress of the operations, such as a number of taxis on iced and snowed-packed runways, where the aircraft has demonstrated exceptional qualities of controllability and braking on both surfaces.
Besides the CET programme, parallel trials have been performed and test pilots from the other partner's companies have joint EADS CASA team to perform DVI and Euromids trials.
The Military Aircraft Business Unit, which is an integrated part of the EADS Defence and Security Systems Division (DS), concentrates all the EADS capabilities in the areas of high-performance combat aircraft, unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs), manned mission aircraft and training aircraft and the ground support equipment for these systems.
With revenues of approx. EUR 5.4 billion in 2004 and roughly 24,000 employees across nine nations, DS forms the defence pole within EADS. It offers integrated systems solutions to the new challenges confronting armed forces and homeland security units. It is active in the areas of military aircraft, missile systems, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems with manned and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), battlefield management systems, defence electronics, sensors and avionics, and related services.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2004, the Group generated revenues of EUR 31.8 billion and employed a workforce of more than 110,000.
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