§ 29. Dr. IddonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the Eurofighter programme. [82608]
§ Mr. George RobertsonThe Eurofighter programme is progressing satisfactorily. Production contracts for the first 148 Eurofighter aircraft, 55 of which are for the Royal Air Force, were signed in Munich on 18 September 1998. The project remains on schedule to deliver the RAF's first Eurofighter in June 2002.
The seven development aircraft have now flown a total of some 950 sorties, (some 770 flying hours), achieving speeds up to Mach 2.0.
Achievements this year include the signing of the initial aircraft supports contracts in January, and a high altitude demonstration of the aircraft powered by the new Eurojet 200 engine. Most recently, the rear seat controls in one of the 2 twin-seater development aircraft have been demonstrated.