Reid Witnesses RAF Typhoon Debut at RIAT

UK Ministry of Defence, Defence Secretary John Reid today saw the RAF's state-of-the-art Typhoon aircraft in action at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at RAF Fairford.  
 
This is the first time that Typhoon has been flown by an RAF pilot at RIAT, the biggest air show of its kind in the world.  
 
John Reid said:  
 
“This was my first opportunity to witness the Air Force of the future in action. This impressive aircraft will be the cornerstone of the RAF's future fighting capability. It is agile and versatile, and with its multi-role capability will be a significant enhancement to the single-role aircraft flown today.  
 
“I was also pleased to meet not only one of the pilots who fly the aircraft, Wing Cdr Al MacKay, but also the air crew who maintain them. Wing Cdr MacKay told me that Typhoon is awesome. Its aerodynamic performance is outstanding and it is a joy to fly.”  
 
Wing Cdr Al MacKay, 29 Sqn. said:  
 
“From a pilot's point of view, Typhoon is absolutely tremendous to fly. The high-tech on-board software allows care-free handling. It's just not like other planes. If you are flying a Tornado fast and you haul the stick in too hard, you can overstress the plane. The Typhoon doesn't allow you to do that. It automatically assesses the manoeuvre and imposes limits so that you cannot put yourself in danger. You can concentrate on the combat you are engaged in.”  
 
“It's a phenomenal leap forward from the F3. In what we call Block Four – that is at altitudes of 40,000 – 45,000ft – it is at its best. You really are 'king of the skies' and able to dominate the tactical situation up there.”  
 
“It is fast and agile, a world-beater.”  
 
 
BACKGROUND NOTES:  
 
1. As at 7 July a total of 1270 sorties and 1529 flying hours have been achieved by the RAF Typhoon force. The force continues to grow by one Typhoon every 5 weeks on average. 14 aircraft have been delivered to date.  
 
2. Successful test firings of ASRAAM (Advanced Short-Range Air to Air Missile) were completed recently. Future AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air to Air Missile) firing plans – all looks good for future operational employment of the aircraft.  
 
3. Contracts announced recently such as the order with SELEX Sensors (formerly BAE Systems Avionics Ltd) for Electronic Warfare suite for Typhoon point to the excellent capabilities being developed for the aircraft coupled with the high tech skill base that is being maintained in the UK.  
 
4. The Case White contract was completed on July 1st. This partnership between Government and industry proved highly successful. It has enabled the steady build up of RAF understanding, pilot conversion, aircraft evaluation and maintenance at the BAE Systems site utilising expertise and infrastructure already in place there.