HALLBERGMOOS, Germany: Eurofighter has delivered the 15th and final aircraft ordered by the Austrian Armed Forces today. The aircraft was rolled out from the EADS Defense and Security Manching assembly line, close to Munich, Germany.
The contract for the supply of 15 Eurofighter aircraft, including weapons and equipment, was signed by Austria and Eurofighter GmbH in July 2003. The contracts also covered simulation equipments, personnel training and logistic support.
This logistic support system helped the Austrian Air Force to commence operational air policing missions – the prime task the aircraft were ordered for – just 11 months after delivery of the first Eurofighter on 12 July 2007. Since the first Typhoon entered service, the aircraft have flown more than 1,100 flying hours with the Air Surveillance Wing’s home base in Zeltweg.
With the completion of the deliveries to Austria, five air forces in Europe have the Typhoon in service as the backbone of their fleets to enable interoperability; development of standard operational procedures and mutual logistic support to increase the already high average of fleet efficiency and effectiveness.
Enzo Casolini, Eurofighter CEO, said: “The delivery of the last Eurofighter Typhoon to Austria provides to Austrian Armed Forces the best aerial defence capabilities available in the World, both in operational, cost and fleet effectiveness terms. With this aircraft we are close to the 200th Typhoon being delivered, a target that we hope to reach by the end of this year”.
Bernhard Gerwert, Chairman of the Eurofighter Supervisory Board and CEO of Military Air Systems within EADS Defence & Security, underlined the significance of this achievement: “Following delivery of this Eurofighter today, Austria now has at its disposal the contractually agreed number of high-performance interceptors required to secure its airspace. With the Eurofighter, Austria has fielded a fighter aircraft that will represent the best solution for Austrian air surveillance for many years to come thanks to its outstanding flight performance, sensor capabilities, and its ability to be integrated into data networks.”
Background Information
Eurofighter Typhoon is the world’s most advanced new generation real multi-role/swing-role combat aircraft available on the market and has been ordered by six nations (Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Austria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia).
With 707 aircraft under contract, it is Europe’s largest military collaborative programme and delivers leading-edge technology, strengthening Europe’s aerospace industry in the global competition. More than 100,000 jobs in 400 companies are secured by the programme.
Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH manages the programme on behalf of the Eurofighter Partner Companies: Alenia Aeronautica/Finmeccanica, BAE Systems, EADS CASA and EADS Deutschland, Europe’s foremost aerospace companies, with a total turnover of approx. €88 billion (2008).
