IN THRUST WE TRUST
PROGRAMME NEWS & FEATURES MAY 2017
BALTIC BEATInside intercept missions
RACE FOR PERFECTIONA sailing legend and Typhoon test pilot on marginal gains
NEW METEOR MILESTONECapability grows
Team trial winnersRunning a complex operation like a flight testprogramme comes with its own very demandingset of potential headaches.
METEOR ProgrammeSuccessful dual firing marks major milestone.
500th EurofighterTyphoon deliveredOn 11 April 2017, the500th Eurofighter was delivered to the ItalianAir Force.
Austrian Eurofighters Swiss roleEarlier this year, Eurofighter Typhoons from theAustrian Armed Forces played an important roleduring the World Economic Forum 2017 inSwitzerland.
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A World in DisorderDr. Florence Gaub, SeniorAnalyst at the European UnionInstitute for Security Studies(EUISS) in Paris, takes a clos-er look at the latest geopoliti-cal developments and explainstheir potential impact on de-fence and air power.
The Race for PerfectionWe speak to Chief Test Pilot Steve Formoso and five-time Olympic medallist Sir Ben Ainslie the most
successful Olympicsailor of all time andcurrently leading theBritish challenge inthe Americas Cup about the search formarginal gains.
My dream job... after fighter pilotRaffael Klaschka admits all fighter pilots have to stopflying one day, but his new role allows him to continuehis love affair with aircraft.
European Route MapThe UK is leading the campaigns in Belgium andFinland, while Germany is the primary for the activities in Switzerland, where a fighter replacement
programme is in itsearly stages. Wetalked to MarkParkinson, RegionalCampaign Directorfor BAE Systems,about ongoing campaigns forEurofighter.
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2017 EUROFIGHTER WORLD
Eurofighter World is published by Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH PR & CommunicationsAm Sldnermoos 17, 85399 HallbergmoosTel: +49 (0) 811-80 [email protected]
Editorial TeamTheodor BenienMartina SchmidmeirAdam Morrison
ContributersAirbus Defence and SpaceBAE SystemsLEONARDO EUROJET Turbo GmbHViva PR
PhotographyEurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbHEurofighter Partner CompaniesGeoffrey Lee, Planefocus Limited, UKTaktLwG74Dietmar FennersChloe LairdChris RydingBen Ainslie Racing (BAR)Dr. Andreas ZeilerMarkus Zinner BMLVS
Design & Productionimages.art.design. Werbeagentur GmbHwww.iad-design.de
Printed byESTA Druck GmbHwww.esta-druck.de
Eurofighter World on the Internetwww.eurofighter.comFollow us on:
If you would like to request additional copies ofEurofighter World, please contact the PR & Communications Department:[email protected]
May 2017
Title:On patrol:Two EurofighterTyphoons of the Tactical AirForce Wing 74
Photo: Geoffrey Lee, Planefocus Limited, UK
CONTENTSEUROFIGHTER WORLDPROGRAMME NEWS & FEATURESMAY 2017
EditorialWelcome from Volker Paltzo, CEO of Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH.
In Thrust We TrustBaltic Air Patrol: The alert siren sounds and two EurofighterTyphoons of the Tactical Air Force Wing 74 are scrambled ...
Eurofighter Operations and Support in AlbaceteRobbin Laird had a chance to visit the 14th Wing at Albacete Air Base in Spain.
The finishing touch How to paint a Eurofighter Typhoon
Ideal for QRALt. Col. Federico S. talks about QuickReaction Alert and his job as theCommander of the 9th Squadron atGrosseto.
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WELCOME
Its hard to remember a time when the world wentthrough such a period of rapid changes in politics,economies, industries and technologies. Decision-makers surveying the changing geopolitical backdropare faced with an uncertain and unpredictable environ-ment. But that only means the need for defence andsecurity is more important than ever before.
In times of evolving threats, reliable Air Power plays anessential role in guaranteeing the stability and securityof our nations. Well-equipped Air Forces can make sub-stantial contributions towards achieving these targets.
With Eurofighter Typhoon we are able to offer an extremely capable weapon system which is consid-ered as the powerful backbone of many Air Forces inEurope and other parts of the world. In this edition of
EUROFIGHTER WORLD, independent security expert Florence Gaubanalyses recent geopolitical developments and discusses her views ofwhat they mean for defence and air power.
Focusing on this theme of global threats, we talk to Wing CommanderColonel Holger Neumann of the German Air Forces Tactical Air ForceWing 74 who have recently returned from a deployment in Estonia aspart of the Baltic Air Patrol. We even get an in-cockpit view fromEurofighter pilot Captain Martin Zielinski about just what its like to goout on patrol.
Elsewhere in this packed issue, we look for a competitive edgethrough the eyes of Eurofighter Typhoon Chief Test Pilot SteveFormoso and Olympic sailing legend Sir Ben Ainslie. The parallels be-tween their two different worlds where split seconds are crucial makes for a fascinating read.
Theres also a look at how two of our partner companies BAE Systemsand Leonardo have been working together to bring the latest capabil-ity updates to the aircraft.
In addition, the magazine features an article from Robbin Laird whowas given an inside track of life with the 14th Wing at Albacete AirBase in Spain thanks to his Air Force hosts Captain Antonio DuquePolo and Captain Sergio Martinez Prez. We also travel to Grosseto,home of the Italian Air Forces IX Gruppo, and follow their prepara-tions for a night flight.
On 11 April 2017, I had the pleasure to attend the delivery of the 500thEurofighter Typhoon which was handed over to the Italian Air Force inTurin. I would like to express my congratulations to all EurofighterPartner Companies, the Eurofighter consortium, suppliers, etc. whosupported us to achieve this fantastic milestone.
As ever, I hope you enjoy the magazine and welcome any feedback.
Yours,
Volker PaltzoCEO Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH
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FIRST MANAGING DIRECTOR OF EUROFIGHTER GMBH,GERRIE WILLOX,HAS PASSED AWAY
Gerrie Willox, the first Managing Director (MD)of Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, passedaway on 25 February 2017. Gerrie was our MDsince the very beginning of our company in1986 until 1991.
Frank Gerrie Willox was born in 1929 and educated in Aberdeenshire. After serving inseveral high-ranking positions, Gerrie was appointed the Director of Projects on the newMilitary Aircraft Division of British Aerospacein early 1986.
On behalf of the consortium and theEurofighter Partner Companies (EPCs), weoffer our sincere condolences to his wife andfamily.
Gerrie Willox was one of the Founding Fathersof Eurofighter Typhoon and our company. Hisgreat passion, his tremendous energy and hisunique commitment for this European combataircraft programme was outstanding.Supported by his colleagues in the otherEurofighter Partner Nations, Gerrie was in thedriver seat moving the programme forwardeven in times of unforeseen difficulties. Weare very grateful for all his achievements.
On the occasion of a historic event inNovember 2016, Gerrie wrote a personal message to us: I am very proud that I was thefirst Managing Director of Eurofighter GmbHand signed the Development Contract. For meEurofighter Typhoon is the best combatweapon system available on the world market.I am sure the aircraft will have a great future.May I convey my best wishes to all concerned.
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An unidentified aircraft has beentracked in NATO-monitored airspaceabove the Baltic. Calmly but quicklyLuftwaffe pilot Capt Martin Zielinski pulls onhis G-suit, while his engineers bring his wait-ing jet to life. Moments later hes taxiing into position on
the mari Air Base runway in Estonia. Within afew seconds the Eurofighter reaches 40,000ft on its way to intercept the target.
Just 20 minutes after the alarm firstsounds Capt Zielinski is up close enough toidentify the aircraft, he makes eye contactwith the pilot and diffuses the situation.On this occasion, the threat aircraft turns
out to be a Russian transporter that had simply strayed off its flight path. Such is theperformance gap between the two, the tough-est thing for Capt Zielinski is to fly slowlyenough to make a visual identification. >>
Threat unknown. The alert siren sounds and two
Tactical Air Force Wing 74 Eurofighter Typhoon are
scrambled
IN THRUSTWE TRUSTPhotos by: TaktLwG74
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This is Baltic Air Policing in action. With no airdefence fighters of their own, Latvia, Estoniaand Lithuania are covered by NATO AssuranceMeasures, which keep the regions airspacesecure. Germany is one of several nationswhich plays its part in this ongoing policingmission, with squadrons working on a four-monthly rotation basis with NATO members,such as Spain, Italy and the UK.Usually based in Neuburg, Bavaria, the
Tactical Air Force Wing 74s main operationaltask is to have ready a two-ship element ofQuick Reaction Alert for NATO and nationalcoverage for southern Germany. It has two air-craft on a 15-minute ground alert, 24/7 theyre ready to get airborne in less than 15 minutes.The Tactical Air Force Wing 74 took their
turn on Baltic Air Patrol rota betweenSeptember 2016 and January 2017
