§ Lord Jonesasked Her Majesty's Government:
When the Eurofighter Typhoon is expected to be accepted for introduction into service with the Royal Air Force. [HL3683]
§ Lord BachWe are delighted to announce that type acceptance of the Typhoon aircraft took place today. This is a significant milestone that triggers the process of accepting individual aircraft into service with the Royal Air Force and the air forces of our collaborative partners: Germany, Italy and Spain.
Delivery to the Royal Air Force, which also represents the achievement of the in-service date for this important programme, will signal the beginning of the introduction to service process. Following a very short period in which the safety limitations of initial flying will be confirmed, flying activities will begin with work-up training for BAE Systems instructors. Final confirmatory assessment by Royal Air Force test pilots will follow, after which operational test and evaluation and pilot conversion training will commence.
The Royal Air Force aircraft will be operated from BAE Systems' facility at Warton for an initial period of some 18 months. This will enable the operators to make best use of the facilities and technical expertise available there before the aircraft transfer to RAF Coningsby, which will be the first operating base to be home to the Typhoon.
Type acceptance is an important landmark in this complex programme that will lead to a capability to deploy on operations in the second half of this decade. The many people involved in industry and the services, both here and overseas, can be justly proud of what they have so far achieved. The House can be assured of our continued commitment to ensuring that the Royal Air Force is equipped with a world-class 65WA weapon system that will enable it to achieve air superiority well into the future.