AEROMEDIA
The Italian Aerospace Information Web
by Aeromedia - corso Giambone 46/18 - 10135 Torino (Italy)


First flight of Eurofighter IPA2 at Turin/Caselle airport

On April 5, the Eurofighter programme reached an important milestone with the first flight of Instrumented Production Aircraft 2 (IPA2), in the hands of C.dr Maurizio Cheli, Alenia Aeronautica chief test pilot. The first flight of IPA2, constructed at Alenia Caselle plant, Italy, was so smooth to allow two more flights to be performed during the same day, totalling 80 minutes in the air.
IPA2, a two seater, will be used to test air-surface weapons and sensor integration. Four more Eurofighters, equipped with flight test instuments, are planned to soon join the advanced trials phase. IPA1 is a two seater built by BAE Systems to test self-defence equipments, IPA3 (first flight April 8) is an EADS-Germany built two seater aircraft dedicated to the integration of air-surface weapons, IPA4 is a single seater produced by EADS-Spain to expand testing of AAM/cannon and environmental control systems while the final one, IPA5, another single seater by BAE Systems, is aimed to test air-air and air-surface armament.
During its second sortie, IPA2 was in the hands of C.dr Marco Venanzetti and performed also low level formation flying with a C-27J and a Tornado, with an MB 339C acting as chase-plane.

In the picture: Eurofighter IPA2 MM X-614 during landing at Turin/Caselle airport, Italy. (Aeromedia)

(Aeromedia, April 2002)