Asia PR News

HALLBERGMOOS, March 30 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ –

The General Manager of NETMA (NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management
Agency) Peter Worrall and Eurofighter GmbH CEO Aloysius Rauen on Thursday 29
March signed a contract that extends the capabilities of Eurofighter Typhoon
beyond those already delivered with Tranche 1 based on the Main Development
Contract. This contract (officially called "First Batch of Enhancements for the
Eurofighter") clears the roadmap for integrating new functionalities based on
the four air forces’ requirements between the four customer nations (Germany,
Italy, Spain, United Kingdom) and the Eurofighter consortium of Alenia
Aeronautica, BAE Systems, EADS CASA, and EADS Germany.

Also today EADS CASA delivered SS011 to the Spanish Air Force, the first
Block 5 aircraft and representing the latest and last production standard of
Tranche 1.

Aloysius Rauen comments: "The contract we signed today covers the so called
Phase 1 Enhancement for Tranche 2 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. It will mainly
focus on air-to-surface capabilities and communication improvements. It will
further position Eurofighter Typhoon at the forefront of Multi-role/swing-role
fighter aircraft and underline the market leader position of the weapon system
with unmatched capabilities.

The new functionalities are welcomed by the four partner air forces as they
enable them to further extend the operational tasks of Eurofighter Typhoon.
Industry will therefore put every effort into meeting the required
specifications and schedules to provide first line performance to the airmen of
the partner nations."

The Phase 1 Enhancement will include the integration of new weapons like
Paveway IV and the EGBU-16 (Enhanced Guided Bomb Unit) alongside integrating a
Laser Designator Pod (LDP) into Tranche 2 aircraft of all four partner nations.
The Human Machine Interface will receive performance upgrades required for the
simultaneous Swing Role operation, allowing a pilot to continue a bomb run
while at the same time fight air attacks by minimizing the pilot’s workload in
complex air warfare scenarios. Further extension of the MIDS performance
(Multifunctional Information and Distribution System) is a substantial
contribution to this objective.

The final Tranche 1 capability already covers air-to-ground operations with
Paveway II and GBU-10/16 Laser Guided Bombs (LGB) plus conventional bombs and
the gun. The Royal Air Force will receive Tranche 1 aircraft with an integrated
LDP already next year.

The new contract is also the enabler for the separately contracted full
digital integration of the new air-to-air weapon IRIS-T, in service with
Germany, Italy and Spain.

Eurofighter Typhoon of Tranche 2 will receive additional functionalities In
the Phase 2 Enhancement. The four national Eurofighter consortium plans to
start work on the respective proposal in the second half of 2007. It will
mainly focus on the integration of new weapons probably including standoff
weapons like Storm Shadow and Taurus.

Images

High Resolution images of the Eurofighter Typhoon can be downloaded from
our web site. Hard Copy images are available on request.

www.eurofighter.com/medialibrary

For More Information contact
Wolfdietrich Hoeveler
Vice President Communication
Eurofighter GmbH
+49 811 801 555 (Office)
+49 811 801557 (Fax)
+49 170 855 0474 (Mobile)
wolfdietrich.hoeveler@eurofighter.com

SOURCE: Eurofighter GmbH

CONTACT: Wolfdietrich Hoeveler,
Vice President Communication of Eurofighter GmbH,
+49 811 801 555 (Office),
+49 811 801557 (Fax),
+49 170 855 0474 (Mobile),
wolfdietrich.hoeveler@eurofighter.com

Web Site: http://www.eurofighter.com/medialibrary