GREEN LIGHT FOR NEW EUROFIGHTER CAPABILITIES.

(Full text of a statement. Contact details below.)

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 ...