The Spanish Air Force (Ejército del Aire Español [EdAE]) has received the first of 15 upgraded Tranche 1 (T1) Eurofighter combat aircraft from Airbus, the company announced on 25 February.
The first of 15 T1 Eurofighters to go through the OFP-02 upgrade plan has bene handed back to the Spanish Air Force for trials. (Airbus)
The single-seat aircraft (serial SS003) was re-delivered to the EdAE from Airbus’ Getafe facility near Madrid following the introduction of hardware modifications, which support the Operational Flight Program 02 (OFP-02) upgrade plan developed by Spain’s Armament and Experimental Logistics Centre (CLAEX).
As noted by Airbus, as part of the upgrade T2 and T3 equipment was fitted to the T1 aircraft, including a computer symbol generator, a digital video and voice recorder, a laser designator pod, and a maintenance data panel.
This first single-seat Eurofighter, along with a two-seat aircraft currently undergoing the upgrade, will be used initially by CLAEX as test platforms for the qualification of these new capabilities that will be implemented on the EdAE’s T1 Eurofighters.
The Eurofighter T1 upgrade is part of a wider modernisation plan for the EdAE’s combat fleet that is called Road Map 2035++. Speaking at the IQPC International Fighter Conference in Berlin in late 2018, Brigadier General Leon-Antonio Machés Michavila noted that this roadmap plans to take Eurofighter T1+ capability upgrades out to the early 2030s for an out-of-service date (OSD) of about 2040. For the T2/3 Eurofighters, Spain plans a mid-life upgrade (MLU) to be developed from 2021 and to run through to 2032, for an OSD beyond 2045. Alongside these Eurofighter plans, the Road Map 2035++ also includes the Boeing EF-18 Hornet, which has an OSD planned for about 2032.
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