The event was attended by senior representatives from the Eurofighter program, Eurofighter management agency NETMA, alongside senior staff from all 6 customer nations including those from the export customers Austria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The 100,000 hours were achieved flying the Typhoons in the bitter cold weather of the Baltic Sea, in the temperate climate of the Tyrrhenian Coast, in the torrid heat of the Arabic Peninsula and over the rough South Atlantic Sea. A range of operational scenarios have tested the Typhoon to its limits and is testament to the reliability; operational readiness and the durability of the platform and systems under operational conditions.
Enzo Casolini, CEO of Eurofighter GmbH stated "This achievement for the Eurofighter programmed demonstrates the maturity reached by the platform and the reliability of it as a defense system. In addition, this key event shows in clear terms what can be achieved through international cooperation and partnership. With so much achieved to date and so much still to look forward to, I am proud to say I am part of such a successful programmed".
With the first 5,000 flying hours achieved by November 2005, 10,000 hours came in August 2006, 20,000 in May 2007 and by August 2008 the Typhoon had surpassed 50,000 hours. This increase in activity matches the steady delivery of aircraft to the customers. The operational fleets have more than 260 aircraft in service - the largest number among the new generation fighters available in the world today.
These fleets are spread across a wide range of squadrons and deployments; 6 from the UK (4 in Coningsby, 1 in Leuchars and 1 in Mount Pleasant, Falkland Islands); 4 in Italy (2 in Grosseto and 2 in Gioia del Colle); 3 in Germany (Laage, Neuburg and Norvenich), as well as one each in Spain, Austria and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - all having contributed to the 100,000 flying hour total.
With Tranche 2 production in full swing, all 148 Tranche 1 aircraft delivered and the retrofit programmed bringing them all to their latest block configuration, the Typhoon is establishing its footprint within the partner and export Customer air forces as the backbone of the operations both in terms of air dominance and ground support roles.
For more information, check Al-Defaiya Issue # 1/2011
