Members of the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter program at the Paris Air Show on Wednesday signed a $54 million contract to conduct studies to improve the aircraft.

Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, Eurojet Turbo GmbH and the NATO Eurofighter & Tornado Management Agency agreed to mutually support the long-term development of the combat aircraft.

The contract calls for a 19-month study of aircraft modifications and a nine-month study of adaptations of its EJ200 engine.

For the engine, range, persistence and longer component life cycles are the main areas of focus. A review of the plane will center on a redesigned cockpit with panoramic displays, high speed data networking capability, improved target data management systems and new outboard sensors.

The goal is development of a variant of the plane, built by a consortium of European companies and in service of several NATO countries since 1994, to maintain operational readiness and add to the platform's competitive edge for several decades.

"From this study we will look into operational effectiveness, interoperability and reduced costs, and fully exploit the full growth potential of the aircraft," Raffael Klaschka, head of marketing at Eurofighter GmbH marketing director, said on Wednesday.

The contract announcement comes as a mockup of the next Eurofighter plane, designed to make the Typhoon obsolete, was unveiled Monday at the air show.

Spain joined France and Germany in a project to build the next generation of fighter jets, and defense ministers from all three countries signed a framework agreement initiating their trilateral cooperation.

A prototype of the new plane is expected by 2026, with a replacement of the Typhoon and France's Rafale aircraft by 2040.

Related Links
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

KC-46 fix months away as more debris found in new refuelers
Washington (UPI) Jun 18, 2019
As the U.S. Air Force continues to find foreign objects in its new KC-46A Pegasus in-flight refueling tankers, a "fix" is months away, the branch's acquisition leader said. Tools, rubbish and left-over parts, including loose nuts, are still being discovered since Boeing first delivered the refuelers in January and revamped its inspection process. "It's a cultural issue," Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, told reporters Monday at t ... read more