Apparently every 3rd landing a Tiffie has the landing lights on it have to be replaced. The reason? A lead free solder being used in the circuitry. Link:
Technograph flies on the Airbus A380 | Eurofighter / EFA/ Typhoon | RoHS - Technograph Microcircuits News
The
rumored cost of replacing them is 400 pounds sterling... and there are 3 per Typhoon. Gross total is 1200 pounds sterling then.
Hmmm.... so there are 55 in service (don't quote me on that, please) and 89 are to be delivered. I'm not sure how many landings one would have to do annualy but still there is 55 x 1200 pounds being churned up from your pocket about every week. 66 000 pounds, now that would probably be every week.
Again it's just what I have been told...but from research it came apparent that it at least the use of a lead free solder is being used.
Anyway, back to the sums. 66 000 x 55... 3 and a 1/2 million pounds being spent on landing lights annualy because the MOD wants to use a lead free solder.
Now, I'm no aircraft mechanic so I wouldn't know how often they would need replaced with a lead based solder used, but the gross cost is still rather huge.
Then again you could divide up the amount of
approximate taxpayers in the United Kingdom which comes to
29.3 million workers
(yes it's quoted from another electronic source). 3 1/2 million / 28.9 comes to just over 12 pence per person per year.
This is not really acceptable, I would hope most of you would think so to.
If you are wondering about my source it's from someone who worked on the Eurofighter project. No names given though sorry.
Cheers.