Eurofighter’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has welcomed a new report by the UK’s Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI) to be launched today in London (July 6th) as ‘positive and encouraging’.
Alberto Gutierrez says the RUSI ‘Whitehall Report’ entitled, ‘Maximizing European Combat Air Power: Unlocking the Eurofighter’s Full Potential’, proves beyond doubt the case for further investment in the aircraft program to bring out the full potential of the Eurofighter Typhoon.
The Munich-based Eurofighter CEO says: “Given the current fragile geo-political situation we believe this is a timely and important report that deserves a far wider audience.”
The Report states that ‘the Eurofighter’s combination of high thrust-to-weight ratio, maneuverability at all speeds, 65,000-foot service ceiling, supercruise capability, powerful radar and large missile load ensures that it outclasses any currently operational fighter aircraft in the world with the exception of the US F-22 Raptor.’
“This is hugely encouraging,” says the Eurofighter CEO. “It is also noteworthy that the Report underlines the fact ‘the Eurofighter Typhoon will provide the backbone of Europe’s combat air power for at least a decade on from 2020’ and makes clear that the aircraft is expected to be ‘more than a match for any enemy aircraft well beyond 2030’.”
Gutierrez notes that, at the heart of the report, is a call for a continued ‘relatively modest level of sustained funding’ in the Program to ‘fully optimize the aircraft’s multirole capabilities’. He says: “We believe this report is positive and encouraging because it makes such a strong case for the aircraft. It also demonstrates the value of investing in Eurofighter which is a long-term investment in the defence and security of those nations who operate our combat aircraft.”
Recent investments in the Eurofighter Program around E-Scan radar, Brimstone, Storm Shadow and Meteor missiles and new launcher systems, have all been well-received.
The author of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI) ‘Whitehall Report’ is Justin Bronk, a research analyst specializing in air power and technology in the Military Sciences team at RUSI.
Eurofighter Typhoon is the most advanced new generation swing-role combat aircraft currently available on the world market. Seven nations (Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Austria, Saudi Arabia and Oman) have already ordered the Eurofighter Typhoon. Eurofighter Typhoon is currently the largest military procurement program in Europe.
Its high technology strengthens the position of European aerospace industry in the international market. The program secures more than 100,000 jobs in 400 companies. Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH manages the program on behalf of the Eurofighter Partner Companies: Finmeccanica – Alenia Aermacchi, BAE Systems and Airbus Defence and Space in Germany and Spain, which are the most important aviation and aerospace companies in Europe.
Since delivery of the first Eurofighter Typhoon to the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom at the end of 2003, a total of 436 aircraft have been delivered to six nations and close to 300,000 flying hours have been achieved.
