An Eurofighter 2000 Project overview - Italian related
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Background
Since the beginning a member of the
original Eurofighter consortium,
Since the beginning of the 1980s,
In the Eurofighter consortium, the
Italian EPC (Eurofighter Partner Company) for
In the development phase, Alenia was
given the responsibility to assemble two of the seven Eurofighter prototypes.
The first (DA3 - military test serial number M.M. X-602) was the very first to
fly with the EJ.200 engines, and was assigned to the integration of the
definitive power plant and to armament tests, both gun fire and external stores
release. The second Italian prototype (DA7 - M.M. X-603), was assigned to
armament integration and performances verification tests.
Alenia had also the System Design
Responsibility for the Armament and Navigation sub-systems, for the Secondary Power
System and for the Utility Control System.
Other industries involved in the
program are (names at the time of the Development contract):
Aerea (contributing with the Advanced Heavy/Light Duty
Ejector Release Unit, the Missile Ejector Launcher, the Rail Beam for
Integrated Tip Stub Pylon Launcher, the Tank Ejector unit, and the Multi
Function Rail Launcher),
Aermacchi (with wing-fuselage fillets; engine
cowlings; tip camera pod; inboard, center, stub and outboard pylons; twin store
carrier; and twin missile carrier), SICAMB (of the Aermacchi Group,
participating with the licence production of the Martin-Baker Mk.16A ejection
seat),
Elettronica (with a share of 42% in the whole design
of the Defensive Aids Sub-System - including ECM/ESM, MAW),
Elettronica Aster (with Chaff & Flares),
Marconi Genova (Microwave Landing System and future
Multi Mode Receiver),
Elmer (with the Crash Survivable Memory Unit),
MID (with the IFF and MIDS Interface Unit)
FIAR (with the power emitter of the ECR-90 radar and
prime-contractor of the Pirate Infra-Red Search and Track equipment),
Marelli Avio (with the APU Generator, Ignition Unit,
Main Electric Generator, and Emergency Electric Generator),
Litton Italia (with the Inertial Laser Navigation
System LN93EF, the Inertial Reference Unit for Flight Automatic Control and
GPS-Upgradeable LRI),
Magnaghi (prime contractor for the Hydraulic
Accumulators and Tanks, and actuators of the air intake), and
Microtecnica
(different minor components).
In the Eurojet
consortium, destined to design and build the new EJ.200 turbofan reheated
engine for the aircraft, the Italian prime contractor is FIAT Avio (having the
same 19.5% share), which is responsible for the gearbox, the oil pumps, the low
pressure turbine, the low pressure turbine shaft and all the afterburner. In
the development phase, FIAT has also produced the Turbine Exit Casing.
In
First flight of
an Italian Eurofighter occurred at Turin-Caselle on June 4th, 1995, while the
second prototype followed on January 27, 1997, being the fifth Eurofighter to
get airborne.
These two
aircraft have been committed with several tests activity, from the home Alenia
facility at Turin-Caselle, and from the Decimomannu airbase, in
On September
3rd, 1998 the Eurofighter received its official name for the export market:
Typhoon.
In the 1998-1999
period, the Production Investments and Production contracts have been
finalised, and the order of the first Eurofighter Tranche was placed. They will
be 148 aircraft into 2 Batches, divided into: 55 to the
The total
Eurofighter 2000 Italian production order, probably 121 aircraft (plus
options), should be delivered in a period of 15 years.
First delivery
has occurred to all participating Nations, and subsequent aircraft should be
delivered in first Tranche (as described above), second Tranche and third
Tranche, to be completed around 2020 (estimate).
The first five
aircraft were the IPAs (Instrumented Production Aircraft), series samples
equipped with test instruments.
Even if the
Eurofighter should be finally capable to perform as a multi-role fighter,
currently the main interest for
The first service
arrived at
Of course,
export marketing of the Typhoon is under way, and serious contacts are already
in progress with several governments interested in the aircraft. An export
company have been settled, called gEurofighter Internationalh.
The
Eurofighter Programme is one
of the biggest development, PI and production programme that
Some delays were introduced as a result of political and economic
reasons, mainly derived by the end of the Cold War and by the need to re-affirm
the aircraft as being appropriate for todayfs operational scenarios.
The delivery of the IPAs and of the first service aircraft in 2003 mark an event and will take our
Nations into the third millennium operating with a new generation fighter.
In my opinion the real differences between the other contemporary
aircraft and the Eurofighter are:
The MIDS (Multifunctional Information Distribution
System), that will provide to the pilot a complete set of synthetic information
indicating identification, position, velocity and other data of each platform
belonging to the allied and enemy forces. This will ease a lot the pilot life,
allowing him to better concentrate on his main mission target;
The
agility and its sensor/weapons fusion concept. Eurofighter was the first one. Only the F22
and the Eurofighter have integrated the MIDS in the avionics system since the
beginning of the design, and this will make the difference with respect to
other aircraft that use the MIDS as a stand alone equipment.
The
European Radar and FLIR and the integration of a full European medium and short range A/A missiles
(Meteor & Iris-T) and a fairly good set of A/G weapons.
For these main reasons, I personally consider that the Eurofighter will
be a competitive aircraft for our future joint, allied and European
activities.
By
T.Col. G.A.r.n. Pennarola Ing. Maurizio
Il T.Col. G.A.r.n. Pennarola Ing.
Maurizio ef nato a Taranto il 31 maggio 1962.
Arruolato in qualitaf di Allievo
Ufficiale dellf Aeronautica Militare Italiana nel 1980 (Corso Zodiaco 3‹) , si
ef laureato in Ingegneria presso il Politecnico di Napoli ed in Scienze
Politiche presso lfUniversitaf di Trieste.
Esperienza tecnico-logistica:
·
Assegnato nel 1987 al 53‹ Stormo Caccia
"G. Chiarini" di Cameri (Novara), 1‹ Reparto Manutenzione Velivoli
Tornado, ricopre inizialmente gli incarichi di Ufficiale addetto alla
Manutenzione Meccanica della Direzione Lavori Meccanica e Capo Sezione SILI
(Sistema Informativo Logistico Integrato).
·
Consegue tanto la qualifica di
Supervisore alla Manutenzione Meccanica quanto la qualifica di Supervisore alla
Manutenzione Avionica del velivolo Tornado.
·
Cura lfimplementazione delle modifiche
Avioniche al Tornado gLocustah durante la Guerra del Golfo, in qualitaf di Capo
Sezione Tecnica Avionica della Direzione Tecnica.
·
Successivamente propone ed implementa,
in qualitaf di Capo Ufficio Programmazione della Direzione Tecnica, modifiche
ordinative ed organiche alla struttura del Reparto allo scopo di migliorarne
lfefficienza.
·
Implementa nel settore della gestione
delle Scorte e dei Materiali Critici nuovi programmi informatici sviluppati
localmente, capaci di automatizzare attivitaf onerose in precedenza svolte
manualmente.
·
Collabora alla stesura della
pianificazione decennale di aggiornamento configurativo della flotta
considerando tra gli obiettivi primari il riallineamento dello scalamento della
flotta stessa.
Prima
esperienza internazionale:
·
Assegnato alla NATO Eurofighter and
Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) di Monaco di Baviera nel 1996, ricopre
lfincarico di responsabile, per conto delle quattro Nazioni partecipanti al
programma, del sottosistema di Navigazione dellf EF2000.
·
Riveste, inoltre, lfincarico di
responsabile per la produzione del MIDS, apparato di comunicazioni bordo terra
di ultima generazione sviluppato e prodotto nellfambito di un programma di
cooperazione internazionale. In tali vesti egli è il primo Ufficiale Ingegnere
dello Zodiaco*** a lavorare sull' EF2000 presso la NETMA.
Esperienza tecnico-amministrativa:
·
Ef stato trasferito nel 2000 alla
Direzione Generale delle Telecomunicazioni (TELEDIFE) con sede a Roma, ove ha
seguito quale Capo Sezione Ricerca e Sviluppo i programmi di sviluppo
internazionali dei sistemi di comunicazione, MIDS e Link 16 e di
identificazione, New Generation IFF nei quali lfItalia ef leader tecnologico
mondiale.
·
Dal 2002 è stato nominato Capo Sezione
Comando e Controllo, seguendo circa 60 contratti di sviluppo delle tre Forze
Armate e progetti internazionali.
Seconda
esperienza internazionale:
·
Assegnato alla NATO MEADS Management
Agency (NAMEADSMA) di Huntsville, Alabama, Stati Uniti, nel 2004, ricopre
lfincarico di responsabile, per conto delle tre Nazioni partecipanti al
programma, del Controllo di Configurazione del Sistema MEdium range Air Defence
System (MEADS), proponendo ed implementando innovative procedure
internazionali.
·
Ricopre dal 2006 lfincarico di
responsabile del Multi Functional Fire Control Radar, la componente a sviluppo
tecnologico piuf complessa e costosa degli elementi del Sistema, ed unico Major
End Item del MEADS sviluppato in Italia.
Corsi
·
Nel 2001, nel grado di Tenente
Colonnello, ha frequentato il Primo Corso Comando presso la SGA di Firenze,
classificandosi primo del corso.
·
Nel 2002 ha frequentato lfISSMI presso il CASD di
Roma, classificandosi in prima fascia.
Sposato
con la signora Franca, ha due figli, Federica nata nel 1992, ed Alessandro,
nato nel 2005.