Eurofighter delivers 400th Typhoon

MANCHING, Germany, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH says a milestone has been reached in its Typhoon fighter program -- delivery of the 400th production aircraft to Germany.

The delivery of the Typhoon to the German Air Force on Wednesday also coincided with the first flight of a Trance 3 Typhoon.

"The delivery of the 400th Eurofighter Typhoon marks a historic milestone in Europe's largest defense program," Alberto Gutierrez, chief executive officer of Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH said at a delivery ceremony. "Now we must focus much more strongly on export campaigns in order to win new contracts and new customers for this outstanding aircraft.

"Right now, especially in these difficult times in the defense industry, it is more important than ever that we stand up and be counted. That is what today is all about."

The typhoon is built by a consortium comprised of Alenia Aermacchi/Finmeccanica, BAE Systems and Cassidian. It was first introduced into service in late 2003. Britain, Italy, Germany, Spain, Austria and Saudi Arabia operate the aircraft.

The Typhoon is a twin-engine multi-role aircraft with a combat range that varies between 325 nautical miles and 750 nautical miles depending on its mission.