Eurofighter

[n.ignomo]

This is an article from a french national newspaper, translate by dictionary.com.

EUROPEAN defense the multiplication of the technical problems of the apparatus obscures its future the fighter Eurofighter in charge Philippe Migault [ June 07, 2004 ] It is not credible military power without a powerful aviation of combat. Never this axiom of the strategy was not called into question since the Second World war. Currently staining to set up an embryo of common defense, Europeans have in consequence of the concern to be done. Germans, British, Italians and Spaniards were to start to replace this year their growing old fighters by a new apparatus, Eurofighter. Intended, according to its versions, the attack on the ground or the control of the airspace, this machine, fruit of a co-operation between European EADS, the British BAe Systems and Italian Alenia, was waited impatiently since it should have entered in service in 2000. At the time of the delivery of the first specimen of series, in July 2003, enthusiasm was thus with go. It is a "formidable fighter" which "will reinforce the military capacities of the European Union and NATO", was delighted then Peter Struck, the German Minister for Defense.Alas, less than one year afterwards, all seems to remake. The apparatus, whose total of 620 specimens was ordered, was recently the subject of a very severe report/ratio on behalf of Qinetiq, the organization of evaluation of the British ministry of Defense (MOD). This one, at the end of a study undertaken over eight month, denounces "unacceptable" defects in the design of the apparatus, likely to put in danger the pilots in operation. Typhoon - the British name of the apparatus - would suffer from deficiencies of its fight computer, which could pass in full mission with the mode "flight" to the mode allowing the operations on the ground. In addition, Eurofighter would be unable to fly using its only instruments, nor to achieve "dynamic" operations of combat without running the risk of a crash landing when it evolves/moves at fallback speed. The ministry for British Defense wanted to relativize these criticisms. Typhoon, specified the soldiers, "is at a very early stage of its development". A declaration at the very least surprising since the green light had been given for the startup of the apparatus, authorization which is never given without a plane passing a whole obligatory series of tests. And the study of Qinetiq does not have surprised person. All the experts knew that if the air-to-air version of Eurofighter seemed to hold the road, the air-to-ground version struggled, it, with multiple difficulties of integration of its electronics of edge. Moreover, the apparatus has not ceased, for one year, multiplying the failures. Last February, a report/ratio with the vitriol, emitted by the Court of Auditors German, put already the finger on many defects. The maximum speed of the apparatus, raised the court, reaches only 2 000 kilomètres/heure instead of the 2 500 envisaged. Of course, speed ceased being a criterion determining for the current fighters. But this gap was not only. The maximum ceiling of the apparatus, announced initially with 18 000 meters, is in fact limited to 12 000, the altimeter, the anti-missile alarm system, are defective, the plane cannot carry out an in-flight refueling and is in danger in the event of takeoff in cold weather or misty... Do not throw any any more! Berlin had been devoted to a true shooting of DCA against the plane. And this ire is shared by the whole of the Air Forces having chosen to buy Eurofighter. Last October, the pilots of the Spanish Air Force, nailed on the ground after the discovery of a problem in the software of landing, had made it clear their dissatisfaction. Obviously, it is too late to burn Eurofighter. The investments authorized by the States and the companies were too heavy so that the program is purely and simply abandoned. And the Air Forces concerned misé too much on him. But the future of Typhoon is announced dark. The Royal Air Force, which counts on its startup in 2007 or 2008, would be ready to resell 50 of the 232 specimens which were to equip its escadrilles. Remain to know if it will find taking. Because Austria, which signed in July 2003 a contract of purchase of 18 hunters, but also Singapore or Greece, which planned to acquire it, is likely to re-examine their positions. What could still predict of a larger danger to Europe of defense, these nations being likely to choose the Joint Strike Fighter American which, after all, should enter in service a few years only after 2008. With condition, however, which it also manages him to overcome its diseases of youth.

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can you post the original article? this translation is ****e

[Gringo]

Ahhhh!!!! No paragraphs!!!!!!

*head explodes*

[budanski]

As long as it doesnt fly into clouds, (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/05/30/nmod30.xml) it should be ok... nothing a service pack can't fix.

[oldsoak]

I think this link should answer that

http://www.eurofighter.starstreak.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=881

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I'm sure they'll be fine once their in service

[Kitsune]

Budanski... :roll:

1) While the Typhoon has been conceived almost 30 years ago, the same holds true for the Raptor. Or maybe 26 years in that case.

2) Technical problems with a new aircraft aren't unusual. The Typhoon is more complex and more computerized than any American Fighter aircraft at present. With something that advanced glitches will happen. You will see that for yourself when the Raptor is introduced, although normally these glitch-cases are kept secret, for a variety of reasons...one of them to keep morons from drawing the wong conclusions when they evaluate these failures out of any context.

3) Just for fun: Out of the article to which you gave a link:
quote:
Two weeks ago, Mr Ingram was also forced to admit that the separate £25 billion Joint Strike Fighter project was also facing serious difficulties after it emerged that the aircraft, which is due to replace the Harrier jump jet, was more than 3,000lb too heavy to fly safely.

So indeed, Americans can screw things up, too. What a suprise.
(And they will correct those mistakes. Bet? As will the European technicians working on the Typhoon. Bet, again?)

[budanski]

Technical problems with a new aircraft aren't unusual. The Typhoon is more complex and more computerized than any American Fighter aircraft at present. With something that advanced glitches will happen. You will see that for yourself when the Raptor is introduced, although normally these glitch-cases are kept secret, for a variety of reasons...one of them to keep morons from drawing the wong conclusions when they evaluate these failures out of any context.
Thats ok, you must have gotten the infamous vapors too. Just in case you missed it... "nothing a service pack can't fix."


Just for fun: Out of the article to which you gave a link:
quote: Two weeks ago, Mr Ingram was also forced to admit that the separate £25 billion Joint Strike Fighter project was also facing serious difficulties after it emerged that the aircraft, which is due to replace the Harrier jump jet, was more than 3,000lb too heavy to fly safely.
Thats fun and all, but your example has a serious flaw. The JSF is NOT in "production" meaning any problems could be fixed easily while still on the drawing boards but for the Eurofighter, problems noticed later will be that much harder to fix. Even software / sensor problems, although "minor", can require a major amount of rework / redesign!

A better example would've been the F4. The F-4 was revolutionary in it's own way. They made a mistake leaving out the gun in the Phantom which was not rectified until the Air Force's F-4E, after some men lost their lives if not their opportunity for a guns kill on a MiG. :P

[n.ignomo]

Original one from "Le Figaro"

DéFENSE EUROPÉENNE La multiplication des problèmes techniques de l'appareil assombrisse son avenir
L'avion de combat Eurofighter en accusation

Philippe Migault
[07 juin 2004]


Il n'est pas de puissance militaire crédible sans une aviation de combat performante. Jamais cet axiome de la stratégie n'a été remis en cause depuis la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Tachant actuellement de mettre sur pied un embryon de défense commune, les Européens ont en conséquence du souci à se faire.

Allemands, Britanniques, Italiens et Espagnols devaient commencer à remplacer cette année leurs avions de combat vieillissants par un nouvel appareil, l'Eurofighter.


Destiné, selon ses versions, à l'attaque au sol ou à la maîtrise de l'espace aérien, cet engin, fruit d'une coopération entre l'européen EADS, le britannique BAe Systems et l'italien Alenia, était attendu avec impatience puisqu'il aurait dû entrer en service en 2000. Lors de la livraison du premier exemplaire de série, en juillet 2003, l'enthousiasme était donc au rendez-vous. C'est un «formidable avion de combat» qui va «renforcer les capacités militaires de l'Union européenne et de l'Otan», se réjouissait alors Peter Struck, le ministre de la Défense allemand.


Hélas, moins d'un an après, tout semble à refaire. L'appareil, dont un total de 620 exemplaires a été commandé, a fait récemment l'objet d'un très sévère ******* de la part de Qinetiq, l'organisme d'évaluation du ministère britannique de la Défense (MoD).


Celui-ci, au terme d'une étude menée sur huit mois, dénonce des défauts «inacceptables» dans la conception de l'appareil, susceptibles de mettre en péril les pilotes en opération. Le Typhoon – l'appellation britannique de l'appareil – souffrirait des déficiences de son ordinateur de vol, qui pourrait passer en pleine mission du mode «vol» au mode permettant les manoeuvres au sol. Par ailleurs, l'Eurofighter serait incapable de voler à l'aide de ses seuls instruments, ni d'accomplir de manoeuvres de combat «dynamiques» sans courir le risque d'un crash lorsqu'il évolue à vitesse réduite.


Le ministère de la Défense britannique a voulu relativiser ces critiques. Le Typhoon, ont précisé les militaires, «est à un stade très précoce de son développement». Une déclaration pour le moins surprenante puisque le feu vert avait été donné pour la mise en service de l'appareil, autorisation qui ne se donne jamais sans qu'un avion ait passé toute une batterie de tests obligatoires.


Et l'étude de Qinetiq n'a surpris personne. Tous les experts savaient que si la version air-air de l'Eurofighter semblait tenir la route, la version air-sol se débattait, elle, avec de multiples difficultés d'intégration de son électronique de bord. De plus, l'appareil n'a cessé, depuis un an, de multiplier les défaillances.


En février dernier, un ******* au vitriol, émis par la Cour des comptes allemande, mettait déjà le doigt sur de nombreux défauts. La vitesse maximale de l'appareil, relevait la cour, n'atteint que 2 000 kilomètres/heure au lieu des 2 500 prévus. Bien entendu, la vitesse a cessé d'être un critère déterminant pour les avions de combat actuels. Mais cette lacune n'était pas la seule. Le plafond maximum de l'appareil, annoncé initialement à 18 000 mètres, est en fait limité à 12 000, l'altimètre, le système d'alerte antimissile, sont défectueux, l'avion ne peut effectuer un ravitaillement en vol et est en danger en cas de décollage par temps froid ou brumeux... N'en jetez plus ! Berlin s'était livré à un véritable tir de DCA contre l'avion. Et ce courroux est partagé par l'ensemble des armées de l'air ayant choisi d'acheter l'Eurofighter. En octobre dernier, les pilotes de l'armée de l'air espagnole, cloués au sol après la découverte d'un problème dans le logiciel d'atterrissage, avaient laissé entendre leur mécontentement.


Evidemment, il est trop tard pour brûler l'Eurofighter. Les investissements consentis par les Etats et les entreprises ont été trop lourds pour que le programme soit abandonné purement et simplement. Et les armées de l'air concernées ont trop misé sur lui. Mais l'avenir du Typhoon s'annonce sombre. La Royal Air Force, qui table sur sa mise en service en 2007 ou en 2008, serait prête à revendre 50 des 232 exemplaires qui devaient équiper ses escadrilles. Reste à savoir si elle trouvera preneurs. Car l'Autriche, qui a signé en juillet 2003 un contrat d'achat de 18 chasseurs, mais aussi Singapour ou la Grèce, qui envisageaient de l'acquérir, risquent de revoir leurs positions. Ce qui pourrait présager d'un danger plus grand encore pour l'Europe de la défense, ces nations risquant d'opter pour le Joint Strike Fighter américain qui, après tout, devrait entrer en service quelques années seulement après 2008. A condition, toutefois, qu'il parvienne lui aussi à surmonter ses maladies de jeunesse.

[foxtrot023]

The frenchare just mad ´casue no one will buy their Rafale... ;)

Regards

[tooms]

The frenchare just mad ´casue no one will buy their Rafale... ;)

Regards

The rafale flies well ;)