Eurofighter Typhoon DA5

DA5 was built by EADS Deutschland at Manching and first flew on 24 February 1997 with pilot Wolfgang Schirdewahn. It was the first Eurofighter equipped with the ECR-90 radar and, at the same time, the first with a complete avionics fit. In June 1997 it received the DS-C1 radar software update and EJ200-03A engines, and it then supported trials of radar-absorbent material. In June 1998 it made the first visit to a potential export customer, at Rygge in Norway, and on 15 December that year a Norwegian test pilot flew the aircraft. On 1 April 1999 it flew the Phase 2B1 software standard for the first time, with autopilot and autothrottle; radar trials against four simulated targets followed in mid-1999. Icing flight trials took place in February 2000, and AMRAAM and AIM-9L integration was completed in May 2001. By mid-2000 ninety per cent of the flight envelope had been cleared, with routine supercruise flying, air-to-air missile firings and demonstrations of high sortie rates and agility. Radar testing concluded on 29 March 2001 with trials against twenty simultaneous targets. The avionics were brought to production standard in spring 2003, and in May 2004 the aircraft made the first flight with a live IRIS-T, followed by the first flight with six fully integrated AMRAAM rounds. It was later upgraded to Tranche 2 standard and from 8 May 2007 flew with the CAESAR radar. DA5 was withdrawn on 30 October 2007.