Have the RAF Typhoons got a CWS yet? I know that, over the past few years, there has been quite a bit in the Press about the Hawk and Typhoon fleets getting a Mod of some sort and there was the Tornado TCAS programme a few years back. I thought 2019 was when the Hawk andsoftewa Typhoon fleets were due to start getting a system.
Hot 'n' High you are quite right, I was being facetious. As long as 2* Duty Holders continue to sign off Safety Statements based on safety features planned for the future not what are currently in operation (ALARP - Temporal), aircraft like Typhoon, and F35, will never get fitted with a CWS. Statements such as,
"I assess that the RtL as a result of MAC between a Typhoon and commercial air transport (CAT) is both ALARP and Tolerable [use to be the other way round]. However, whilst work on a Typhoon CWS is progressing, the MOD's operation of Typhoon without CWS does not align with civilian safety standards", are meaningless
. Not only that, current installations do not align with RA 1205 and MAA/Def Stan 00-970; the latter stating,
"All crewed aircraft types shall be fitted with an Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS)" .The planned Enhanced Collision Awareness System (ECAS) is a software fudge which falls well short of the goals set following the Moray Firth Tornado collision.
In a recent Parliamentary Written Question, Douglas Ross asked,
"What is the timescale for the Typhoon aircraft to be compliant with Part 13 sub paragraph 1.1.9.1 of MAA/Def Stan 00-970 (Aircraft Collision Avoidance System)". The answer he got back from MoD was,
"The Typhoon Enhanced Collision Awareness System (ECAS) will enter service with the United Kingdom's Typhoon fleet later this year. The Typhoon ECAS is a collision awareness system. As such, it is not required to comply with Def/Stan 00-970 Part 13 sub paragraph 1.1.9.1 and there are no current plans to do so." . The same reply was given to a similar question asked about the F35.
DV