Typhoon OEU Cranks Up?
 

Chaps,

Believe that 17 Sqn, alias the Typhoon OEU started at Coningsberg on 1 Apr - best wishes to the mates and gizza trip!

When's the earliest that they'll get a chance to 'play' with other airforces???, October???;-)

Good luck to all!!.

BAESYSTEMS News


Cheers

It has got to be a spoof - look at the date on the BAES press release - 1 Apr! Nothing ever leaves BWOS on schedule!

SG

Except the employees!

Soiled Glove,

" It has got to be a spoof - look at the date on the BAES press release - 1 Apr! Nothing ever leaves BWOS on schedule "

I would suggest that you're talking through your @rse.

Bravo E5,

Too many cynical b@st@rds posting on these threads who know SFA about BAe and/or Typhoon.

The RAF guys converting to the beast just love it. Nuff said ?

3G

Agree - soddim you disappoint me

Not nearly as much as BWOS must have disappointed the pilots who would have flown Typhoon if it had been in service on time - whatever the cost.

Soddim

Unusually, I have to defend BAE a bit.

Many of the delays have been government induced due to fights over workshare, delayed contract lets etc. A good rule of thumb is to to multiply the usual number of problems in contracts by the square of the number of nations involved, and then do the same with the delays and costs.

Retard

Yes, have to agree. Even BWOS were not capable of a monumental delay like that on their own.

Typhoon
 

Of course it is fun to fly but what is it for?

Shooting down other airplanes and blowing stuff up:ok:

:E :ok:

soddim,

You and I have bantered in the past with regard to the ineptitude of BWos management in KSA. I certainly would not retract one word and I'm sure that you wouldn't either.

I think however that we should differentiate between BWoS management and the BAe Systems workforce as it is unfair to equate the two.

There are many good people working extraordinary long hours to get projects such as Typhoon and Nimrod up and running. I know of at least two marriage breakups due to individuals working long hours for many months until finally their family lives became non existant. That is the degree of commitment that we are talking about. They have not been helped by the member Governments continually moving the goalposts.

I am not having a pop at anyone in particular but would say to all the smartasses out there who think it funny or smart or fashionable to have a go at BWos/BAe Systems to choose their words carefully in future and not to post uninformed cr@p.

Rant over awaiting incoming.

E5.:O

Not involved with Typhoon (silly name, maybe?), but there is an old maxim - "if it looks right, it is right" - and Typhoon seriously looks the biz. Saw it at a couple of Farnboroughs, the first it looked roughly comparable with F16 etc - why bother, one thought. Two years later, and performance envelope obviously enhanced through testing, it beat the pants off everything - F16, Super Hornet, Rafale and even Gripen (aka poor man's Eurofighter, and personal favourite of any red-blooded SAAB car driver). I well remember it turning really tight circles on reheat, the back end slewing out in an attempt to overtake the front. This is a serious combat aeroplane - and I envy the lucky sods who fly it. At last the RAF will have a decent fighter. Don't knock it - if only UK plc could produce a helicopter half as good. And why aren't we producing a carrier version, instead of buying the overweight, expensive and lacklustre F35?

A2QFI: Why so cynical ? And wouldn't you rather be a QWI?

Insty 66: Well said

Echo 5: Damn well said

Uncivilservant: Flew Farnboro in 2002 and it always amazed me when flying the tight circles you talk about that when I looked at the foreplane the leading edges were almost fully down, ie trying to fly "out of the turn" but we still had 7+g on! Ask A2QFI to explain it to you, its all about the aircraft being unstable......

Soddim: if ifs and ands were pots and pans we'd all be rich and happy, if it was easy everyone would be doing it.

Nobody involved in the program either set out to delay it or wanted to see it fail. It is a complex yet capable weapons "system", far more so than a lot of people (even some of those airships taking delivery of it) realise. It is not cheap, but if you pay peanuts......

Saw a USAF News article where General Jumper compared it very favourably against F-22 ant that costs 4 times as much. What price stealth? Maybe someone could provide the link again?

Edited to say: found it myself!

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123010102

Tarnished

As someone who is very close to the boys that fly it (no girls yet), I totally echo what Tarnished has said. As far as all the "doubters" go, give it a chance.

Yes, it is late. Yes it is expensive. Yes it is partially governed by the Germans and Club Med. BUT.....it is awesome to fly. Let us all now draw a line under the problems and issues of the past and move forward. We all know where it's been, but it has an fantastic foundation NOW to build upon so let's leave all the b*ll*cks behind and watch and admire.

The line in the sand has been drawn.

Tarnished Old Boy,

Well said and well put. Thanks for the link to Gen Jumper's article - a very fair look at the F22 and Typhoon from someone uniquely qualified.

Take care,

Echo 5,

Yes, I've enjoyed your banter and I agree that there is a highly proficient and skilled workforce at BWOS who have been poorly served by their managers - and that was particularly true, as we know, in Saudi.

However, it is the UK company management that has borne responsibility for the cost and production overruns that have recently led to the rapid decline in the company's reputation with the MOD.

The French company THALES is now, apparently, more favoured within MOD than our own home grown last remaining aircraft producer.

Yes, the Typhoon does appear, despite some very silly teething problems, to be performing as it was required to. I agree that is good news but let's not kid ourselves that all is well with the Baron's business or its' products.

"Sithee' by boogery, yoong lad, therr's nowt wrong wi't prodoocts from owerrr werrks...

Old Mad Maggie said there's allus be brass ferr 't lads at 't werrks for 't aerroplanes ferr 't Airr Forrce; them lads love 't TypHoon an' it'll keep me in Pig Pancreas Pies ferr 't forseeable....."

And with that, 't Bungling Baron Waste o' Space fondled the ears of his faithful but flatulent whippet Boogeroff and tucked in to a particularly choice piece of ram's testicle tart....

BEags,

Thou forgot t'mention that t'Baron is partial to a bit of Bury black puddin.:)