On 22 March 2016, Eurofighter announced that a series of successful ground rig trials with MBDA's air-to-surface BRIMSTONE missile have been completed at BAE Systems Military Air & Information site in Warton, Lancashire, UK. The trials are part of the integration of the weapon on to the Eurofighter TYPHOON combat jet.
A BRIMSTONE weapon, consisting of a launcher loaded with three missiles, was connected to an avionics systems integration ground rig to test the communication between the launcher and software. The test was designed to ensure there was successful communication between the real weapon and the TYPHOON aircraft. The activity according to Eurofighter follows successful completion of avionics design activity and the start of informal testing on the initial software in the rig.
The trials, supported by MBDA, Eurofighter, and partner companies, are part of the test campaign for the Phase 3 Enhancements’ (P3E) package, which is to introduce a low collateral precision strike air-to-surface capability to TYPHOON. The trials programme is considered to be vital to collect feedback on performance and ensure a mature product enters flight test activities before entry into service.
These trials are running alongside a flight test campaign for the Phase 2 Enhancement (P2E) package, which brings a range of new and improved long range attack capabilities to the aircraft through MBDA’s STORM SHADOW deep strike missile and MBDA's METEOR beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile.
Also see this blogpost: Successful Missile Trials for Eurofighter TYPHOON Continue
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| A Eurofighter TYPHOON armed with a triple BRIMSTONE rack on its outboard pylons and PAVEWAY IV laser-guided bombs on its inboard pylons. (Photo: BAE Systems) |
A BRIMSTONE weapon, consisting of a launcher loaded with three missiles, was connected to an avionics systems integration ground rig to test the communication between the launcher and software. The test was designed to ensure there was successful communication between the real weapon and the TYPHOON aircraft. The activity according to Eurofighter follows successful completion of avionics design activity and the start of informal testing on the initial software in the rig.
The trials, supported by MBDA, Eurofighter, and partner companies, are part of the test campaign for the Phase 3 Enhancements’ (P3E) package, which is to introduce a low collateral precision strike air-to-surface capability to TYPHOON. The trials programme is considered to be vital to collect feedback on performance and ensure a mature product enters flight test activities before entry into service.
These trials are running alongside a flight test campaign for the Phase 2 Enhancement (P2E) package, which brings a range of new and improved long range attack capabilities to the aircraft through MBDA’s STORM SHADOW deep strike missile and MBDA's METEOR beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile.
Also see this blogpost: Successful Missile Trials for Eurofighter TYPHOON Continue
Alexander Kolberg