1. Eurofighter Typhoon - Production Programme http://www.eurofighter.com/news/article134.asp
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The overall production contract for the initial purchase of 620 aircraft plus an
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option for 90 aircraft was signed by NETMA and Eurofighter GmbH on 30 January
IASS 1998. Production of 232 aircraft for the UK, 180 aircraft for Germany, 121
aircraft for Italy, and 87 aircraft for Spain will be in three tranches each with
148, 236 and 236 aircraft respectively.
Under this maximum price Umbrella Contract, were the following agreements:
Supplement 1 for Production Investment for the 620 aircraft, and long lead
items for the first batch of 148 aircraft
A framing agreement for Integrated Logistic Support for the whole programme
On 18 September 1998, the Supplement 2 fixed price agreements were signed
between the NATO Eurofighter Management Agency (NETMA), Eurofighter GmbH
and Eurojet GmbH. These agreements translate the maximum prices defined in
the Production Umbrella contracts into firm orders at fixed prices for a first
Tranche of weapon systems comprising 148 aircraft.
The agreements also include spare engines and role equipment for the Tranche 1
aircraft, and long lead-time items for Tranche 2 of 236 aircraft. Further orders for
the full range of spares, ground support equipment, training aids, and support
for the first Tranche of aircraft have been finalised for the first five years of
service and support.
First metal was cut in the second quarter of 1998 and assembly of the Front and
Centre Fuselage for the first production aircraft began by the end of 1998. Work
on the first right and left wing started early 1999. Deliveries of aircraft to the Air
Forces started in Summer 2003. All 148 aircraft (including one airframe for
fatigue testing) were delivered by June 2008.
The production contract for the second Tranche of 236 aircraft was signed on 14
December 2004. The first Tranche 2 aircraft took to the air on 16 January 2008
at EADS Military Air Systems in Manching. Deliveries started in October 2008.
The proposal for 236 aircraft in Tranche 3 was submitted by Eurofighter GmbH to
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2. Eurofighter Typhoon - Production Programme http://www.eurofighter.com/news/article134.asp
NETMA on 14 December 2007. Industry and the Nations intend to sign the
production contract by end 2008.
The first export contract was signed in July 2003 for 18 aircraft (Tranche 2) to
Austria. The contract was revised in 2007, and Austria will receive 15 aircraft out
of Tranche 1 between 2007 and 2009. The four nations had agreed to divert 15
Tranche 1 aircraft to Austria and receive additional Tranche 2 standard aircraft
instead.
In September 2007 a second export contract for Eurofighter Typhoon was signed
between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. Based on the
industrial contracts finalized early December 2007 Saudi Arabia will receive 72
aircraft beginning 2009.
Production of Eurofighter Typhoon is characterized by modern manufacturing
techniques and principles. Integrated Product Teams look at lean manufacturing
methods to cut down delivery lead-times, to keep cost down and to increase
productivity. The use of advanced materials like carbon-fibre keeps the
complexity of parts low and reduces the total number of parts. A high level of
automation has been achieved by using CATIA for designing the tools and
programming numerical controlled machines on the shop floor.
Following the single-source principle, the four partners share production as
follows:
Alenia
left hand wing, outboard flaperons, rear fuselage
Aeronautica
front fuselage, foreplanes, windscreen and canopy, centre
BAE SYSTEMS fuselage frames, dorsal spine, fin, inboard flaperons and rear
fuselage stage 1
EADS (Spain) right hand wing and leading-edge slats
EADS
centre fuselage
(Germany)
Four final assembly lines have been set up by the four partner companies:
Alenia Aeronautica Caselle near Turin
BAE SYSTEMS Warton
EADS (Spain) Getafe near Madrid
EADS (Germany) Manching
Production by Tranches
Tranche Aircraft Timescale for deliveries
1 148 2003 to 2008
2 236 2008 to 2013
3 236 After 2012
Sub-total 620
15 Austria - 2007 to 2009
72 Saudi Arabia - 2009 onwards
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