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Today British Royal Air Force squadron leader Scott Loughran flies the Eurofighter Typhoon, which is now on display and performing aerial shows for the first time at the Dubai Airshow.
The plane, one of the most advanced multi-role combat aircraft available, is produced by the Eurofighter consortium of Alenia Aeronautica from Italy, BAE Systems in the UK, EADS Deutschland in Germany and EADS CASA in Spain.
The Typhoon is here in the UAE primarily for a multi-national training exercise with air forces from the UAE, UK, US and France.
After flying military manoeuvres in the morning, the plane takes to the skies above the Dubai Airport Expo, the site of the air show, to wow crowds of onlookers.
For Loughran, this is carte blanche to fly his plane to its limits, pulling off complicated manoeuvres fast and close to the ground.
“Flying in the display, you can take the plane to its maximum performance,” he told Khaleej Times in an interview at the Eurofighter stand on the tarmac behind the show’s exhibition halls.
“It’s a kind of retrospective excitement. At the time, you’re make sure you’re at the right height, right speed. But then you come down and you’re thinking about it after.”
Since he began flying warplanes in 1995, Loughran has piloted the Tornado F3, the Jaguar and now the Typhoon.
“The Typhoon does what the Tornado and the Jaguar do, but better,” he said. “It’s like if you were a race car driver – you always want to drive the fastest car. You can take it to the maximum G (G-force), and quickly.”
He said that the plane’s easy operability — a result of its flight-control software system — allows the pilot to focus on other details from the cockpit.
The Typhoon has been deployed on aerial frontlines since 2005. Designed originally for air-to-air combat, it has also been assigned since 2008 to other uses as well.
The Royal Air Force is taking delivery of one new Typhoon almost every month, and Loughran expects to return to the UK to set up a third frontline squadron.
“It really is going to be the backbone of the Royal Defence,” he said. “It will primarily be used in homeland defence – mainly air to air.”
Typhoon has been bought by six nations so far – Saudi Arabia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK—for roles including air surveillance and international border patrols.
Austria recently took delivery of the last of its 15 Typhoon aircraft. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia took delivery in June of the first of 72 aircraft that it has ordered.
The plane’s manufacturers say it is well equipped to deal with the hot climate of this region. Its EJ200 engines, weaponry and long-range detection capability make it effective for Middle Eastern defence requirements, they say.
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