Farnborough 2008 Show News - July 15, 2008 - (Page 36) FA R N B O R O U G H 2 0 0 8 Typhoon Stands Guard Over Austria Austria is proudly proclaiming the operational debut of its Eurofighter Typhoon force less than a year after the first aircraft was handed over. As of July 1, Austria’s Typhoons are standing by on quick-reaction alert (QRA), ready to scramble at seven-minute readiness. Although the jets are not assigned to the classical air defense mission—by law they may only undertake “air policing”—the armed Typhoons are part of a multi-layered network that guards Austria’s borders. Austria’s quest to find a new fighter to replace its Saab Drakens was an arduous one. The multi-year process saw governments rise and fall against a background of bitter national debate. A hard-fought commercial battle saw allegations of criminality and sizeable revisions of the requirement. In 2003 a contract was signed with Eurofighter to acquire 18 new jets (reduced from an original requirement of 24 plus six trainers). In 2007 this deal was renegotiated to become a 2 billion euro package for 15 single-seat Typhoons (Tranche 1, Block 5) plus logistics and support. Armed with BGT’s IRIS-T agile dogfight missiles and their internal BK 27 cannons, the Typhoons are taking over from the F-5Es that Austria leased from Switzerland as an interim replacement for the Drakens. By the end of this week Austria should have taken delivery of nine Typhoons. All 15 will be in service by early next year. Even before their official service entry date, the Typhoon force was able to provide air cover for June’s Euro 2008 football championships, co-hosted by Austria. During that week the Typhoons An Austrian Eurofighter. Austria is expected to have taken delivery of 15 Eurofighter jets by early 2009. intercepted a military aircraft from a European nation that was transiting Austrian air space without diplomatic clearance. In their first week of QRA readiness the Typhoons intercepted two more civil aircraft that had not established radio contact with air traffic control. One challenging aspect of the program has been meeting the multifaceted conditions required for access to NATO/U.S. classified material (such as the Link 16 datalink). Karl Hofer, Eurofighter program manager with the Austrian Ministry of Defense told Show News, “Running classified equipment in neutral Europe is a challenge. We have had a big struggle over licenses. NATO is an excellent organization, but only for itself, not so much for the NATO PfP members. In the end, we had to deal with everything through bilateral agreements. Everyone should be warned that this is a four- or five-year process.” Brig. Erwin Jeloschek, chief of air force programs in Austria’s general staff and now the acting air chief noted, “The Eurofighter weapons system was the biggest procurement in Austrian history. It was a good-news/bad-news process as governments and oppositions changed. There have been four general accounting reviews of the program since 2003 in the country’s highest ‘political court.’ Another examination is now underway. There have been 4,600 official questions asked and a lot of ‘expert’ opinions given in the media. It has been a seven-year saga. Frankly, we are very proud that we deployed a fourth-generation aircraft in 11 months.” —Robert Hewson Canada Develops Aerospace Supermaterials A collaborative initiative launched in February between the National Research Council (NRC) Canada (Stand C15a, Hall 4) and McGill University, known as the McGill Aerospace Materials and Alloy Development Centre, is working to develop a new generation of highly-resistant materials, surface treatments and manufacturing processes designed to meet the extreme requirements of the aerospace industry. “The joint McGill and NRC aerospace materials research collaboration is a special example of the synergy that exists between two of Canada’s premier research institutions,” said Professor Denis Thérien, vice-principal of McGill’s Research and International Relations. “This is an excellent model of partnership in R&D among public and academic institutions 36 that will directly benefit advanced education, research, and industry capabilities in Canada’s important aerospace sector.” In 2006, the Canadian aerospace sector generated sales of $21.8 billion, exports of $18.5 billion, and employed 79,000 skilled individuals across the country. “The Government of Canada is committed to making science and technology innovation into a true competitive advantage for Canada,” said Minister of Public Works Michael M. Fortier, earlier this year. “The McGill Aerospace Materials and Alloy Development Centre infrastructure, research and education program will train the next generation of highly qualified personnel to fill increasing aerospace industry demands.” The new center brings together several differ- ent laboratories at multiple sites, including the Cold Spray facilities located at the NRC Industrial Materials Institute. Cold Spray technology is of particular interest to the aerospace industry because the materials used in the coatings do not melt, therefore conserving their original properties. Other laboratories include the Electron Beam Physical Vapor Deposition and Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry, located on the McGill University campus. The fourth laboratory at the Manufacturing Technology Centre of the NRC Institute for Aerospace Research on the Université de Montréal Campus, will be dedicated to the production of specialized titanium parts using an isothermal forging press. —Paul Jackson July 15, 2008 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews
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