Eurofighter, NETMA to streamline certification process

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH has signed an agreement with the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency to streamline the certification process.

Under the agreement, signed by NETMA general manager Air Vice-Marshal Graham Farnel and Eurofighter CEO Volker Paltzo allows certification work previously done by the company's customers to be carried out by the industry.

The agreement follows the signing of mutual recognition certificates by senior defense officials from Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany.

"The idea for adopting EMAR21 into the Eurofighter Program came from the Ministerial Task Force for Eurofighter Typhoon. It makes a great deal of sense on many levels," Paltzo said. "Qualification and certification activity, by its very nature, takes time. Sharing and delegating a common standard of approval will bring new efficiencies into the program."

The Eurofighter program, which supplies the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft to participating countries, required a four-nation agreement on Type and Airworthiness Certification before the latest agreement was signed.

The process scrutinized weapon systems, type designs, and other characteristics.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine multi-role fighter designed by Alenia Aermacchi, in cooperation with BAE Systems and Airbus Group. The fighter is designed with an enhanced swing-role capability.