Eurofighter debuts in Dubai Air Show

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Europe's most advanced defense aircraft, the Eurofighter Typhoon, will be displayed at the Dubai Air Show for the first time.

The five-day show that takes off on Nov. 15 is the biggest aviation and aerospace event in the Middle East, where governments in the region ordered a staggering $85 billion worth of new aircraft at the previous show, two years ago.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is expected to draw much attention, exhibiting its multi-role operational capabilities in a string of aerial performances over the sprawling grounds of the exhibit.

Organizers say the supersonic aircraft -- built by a four-nation consortium comprising BAE System of the United Kingdom, Alenia Aeronautica of Italy, EADS Deutschland and EADS Spain -- will be manned by Squadron leader Scott Loughran.

"In eight and a half minutes I will have the opportunity to really show the audience what the Typhoon can do at one of the most prestigious shows in the world," he told Trade Arabia.

The same publication said that among the exhibition's eye-catchers will be a "full-scale mock up of the latest Airbus jetliner, the A350XWB, as well as two mock-ups of the Eurocopter EC175."

A U.S. Air-Force F-22 is also set to make its debut flying run, teaming up with the participating Eurofighter -- sent in from Britain's Royal Air Force -- in a display of aeronautics.

Nearly 900 companies are expected to take part in the Dubai Air Show, a 10 percent rise in attendance compared with the 2007 show.

This year, however, organizers and participants are skeptical of recording a similar success.

It remains unclear, in fact, whether the Eurofighter Typhoon and other state-of-the-art aircraft will generate the anticipated interest of investors.

"The Middle East market is still growing," Alison Weller, aerospace director of F&E Aerospace, the event's organizer, told local media.

With 707 aircraft under contract, Eurofighter Typhoon is Europe's largest military collaborative program.

Its high-agile superiority and air-to-surface swing-role weapon system makes it the most capable frontline fighter available, experts say.

Its swing-role capability allows the plane to perform a wide range of operations, including air policing, air defense and ground attack.

Most recently, for example, Austria's Eurofighter Typhoons were involved in air policing missions during meetings of NATO defense ministers in Slovakia last month. Similar policing operations took place during Austria's hosting of the 2008 European Football Championships and at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

In the Middle East, the Typhoon's main customer in the region is Saudi Arabia.

The effects of the global financial slowdown, however, were obvious at the Dubai Air Show.

"Many smaller companies have opted not to participate this year, and some others that plan to come have reduced the size of their display booths or are renting fewer places," Weller was quoted as saying by the Khaleej Times.

The past year, she said, "has been a difficult time for the aerospace industry worldwide."

About 60 percent of the Dubai exhibitors are set to focus on commercial aviation, with military suppliers comprising the remaining 40 percent.