INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
CO N TAC T [email protected] eurojet.deThe Typhoon’s EJ200 power
plant continues to evolve
through a close triangular
partnership between the
engine manufacturer,
the customer and the
air framer. Clemens
Linden, CEO of EUROJET
TURBO GmbH, explains
“We do not see ourselves as a mere
supplier; we are a systems house in
search of the perfect marriage.” This is
the ambitious objective of Eurojet’s Chief
Executive Officer, Clemens Linden. He
continues, “The perfect marriage means
that the product, in this case, the EJ200
turbofan engine, integrates perfectly into
the platform – the Eurofighter Typhoon.”
Equally as important is achieving a
perfect marriage in terms of the relationship
with his customers who operate the
Typhoon – the most demanding of whom
is, in his opinion, the Royal Air Force
(RAF). However, he emphasises, having a
demanding partner is a positive influence
for driving change and, according to
Eurojet’s leader, the company prefers it
that way. “The RAF is demanding, but
they are key for us. The RAF fleet flies the
Typhoon the most and they are the front
runner when it comes to defining what the
future looks like and what they will need to
operate successfully in that environment.”
This close relationship helps to keep
the momentum of a continual evolution of
engine enhancement and growth. A prime
example of this is Eurojet’s collaboration
with the RAF and BAE Systems while
they undertook the extremely complex
Project Centurion weapons upgrade. This
symbiotic relationship benefits everyone as
Linden recognises that Eurojet has to keep
improving what it offers its current engine
users, not just to keep them happy, but
also in order to attract future customers,
such as the most recent member to
join the Typhoon family – Kuwait.
Project Centurion was particularly
significant as the integration of more
weapons on to an aircraft generates the
question of thrust reserves and whether
an enhancement would be required –
in other words the need for increased
engine thrust. This is becoming ever
more important as Eurojet sees demand
increasing in the future for the Typhoon
to carry more load or receiving heavier
equipment. Therefore, the company hasprepared itself to grow the engine for the
integration, both for the Typhoon and for
next-generation fighters/weapon systems.
The company is working on improving
the aerodynamics and strength of both the
compressor and turbine blades, just as an
example. This certainly helps the company
promote the EJ200 for other platforms
beyond Typhoon. For some time now,
Linden has been focusing on activities and
offering the EJ200 as an engine option
for the fifth-generation fighters being
indigenously developed in Turkey and
India – TFX and AMCA. As part of these
campaigns, he highlights the engine’s
ability to grow the thrust by at least 25%
in the future with the possibility to take
an additional step to yet another level.
In addition to enhanced capabilities,
Linden and his engineers are constantly
looking for new ways to reduce the
through-life cost of engine ownership. And,
just as others have realised the utility of big
data, so has Eurojet. “We have started to
look at what else we can do with the data
we gather at the International Weapon
Systems Support Centre in order to bring
engine health monitoring and the relevant
analyses to the next level. Better data
analysis using big data will help us predict
future problems and overcome them
before they materialise,” Linden concludes.PERFECT INTEGRATION –
A MARRIAGE OF EQUALS
The EJ200 is on a continual growth path with at least an additional 25% of power in the offingThe Royal Air Force is Clemens Linden’s
most demanding partner