BAE Systems

McDonnell Douglas Hornet, Germany
decided that with £5bn already spent it
on EFA was past the point of no return.
Requirements were finalised for a slightly
less costly New EFA (NEFA) renamed
Eurofighter 2000 and development was
agreed with the partner nations in 1996.
Each company would have its own final
assembly and flight test centre.
Benefitting from the successful
development of the Jaguar ACT and the
EAP, Eurofighter 2000 was defined as an
extremely agile supersonic twin-engined
single-seater able to super-cruise (i.e. fly
supersonically without using reheat). It
had a light airframe as only 15% was
made from metal. It would have optimal
performance for an air superiority role in
beyond visual range and close combat,
matched with a comprehensive
air-to-ground attack capability.
In May 1990, the contract was agreed
for the GEC-Marconi ECR90. Trials began
January 1993 in BAC One-Eleven 475
ZE433 which had a specially extended
nose to accommodate the ECR90 or
Captor radar. Captor was then fitted to

‡ The work share

on the Eurofighter

Typhoon

programme. (Alenia

Aermacchi is now

called Leonardo.)

(BAE SYSTEMS North

West Heritage) †

EAP to EurofightEr tyPhoon

The Aircraft of British Aerospace and BAE SYSTEMS 1977 - 2017 109

DA3 and DA4 for trials.

In August 1996, the UK National Audit

Office put the total cost of the

programme to the UK at £15.4bn, with a

unit production cost for 250 aircraft of

£38m. In January 1998 production

contracts were finally signed for 620

aircraft with 80 options. Germany cut its

order from 250 aircraft to 140, though it

was later raised to 180. With this reduction

in the German order workshare was

re-evaluated, and with BAe having 37%

(232 aircraft) MBB 30% (180), 20% for

Aeritalia (121) and 13% for Casa of Spain

The first Eurofighter Development Aircraft DA1 98+29
assembled in Manching flew on 27 March 1994.
(Copyright Eurofighter)