A Typhoon Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA) has successfully completed a release of the MBDA Storm Shadow conventionally armed, ste...
A Typhoon Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA) has successfully completed a release of the MBDA Storm Shadow conventionally armed, stealthy, long-range stand-off precision missile.
The trial led by Eurofighter partner, Alenia Aermacchi, will lead to full integration of the Storm Shadow bunker buster cruise missile and enhance Eurofighter Typhoon’s potent simultaneous multi-role/swing-role capabilities.
The trial was carried out in early this month, at Defense Ministy's Aberporth firing range in UK, along with BAE Systems, QinetiQ and MBDA.
The integration of the missile with the aircraft's weapon system was successfully demonstrated. The trials also verified the interface of the missile with the weapon system for pre-launch checks, demonstrated post-launch safe separation and the subsequent commencement of missile flight.
Test pilot Enrico Scarabotto, who flew the sorties said the heavy missile has not degraded performance of the Typhoon.
With a standoff range of 250 km, the Storm Shadow will add the capability to strike in day or night in all-weather conditions, well-defended infrastructure targets such as port facilities, control centres, bunkers, missile sites, airfields and bridges that would otherwise require several aircraft and missions.
Storm Shadow, already in service with the Italian Air Force, Royal Air Force and others, is a long range weapon system designed to neutralise high value, hardened or buried targets.
Powered by a turbo-jet engine, the Storm Shadow missile weighs approximately 1.300 kg and is just over 5 metres long.
The first tests on Storm Shadow integration for the Eurofighter began in December 2013 with IPA2 operated by Alenia Aermacchi.
Six further flights were then completed in the following weeks to assess the Storm Shadow’s compatibility with the Eurofighter’s Air Data System, and Flutter & Structural Coupling tests were also carried out.
A later flight was then performed with baseline configuration for comparative analyses purposes. The assessment of the Performance & Loads on the aircraft while carrying the missiles was done in March 2014 in a programme known as Extended WIF phase 1.
Five flights were performed with the Storm Shadows installed and a further three with baseline configuration. Following this testing, IPA7 (Airbus Germany) and IPA4 (Airbus Spain) undertook an intensive campaign of related Aero Data Gathering trials with IPA4 having one and/or two Storm Shadows fitted in order to complete the WIF Flight Test phase of testing.
In November 2014 inert drop-tests and store jettison trials were accomplished at an Italian test range. The trials saw the missile being jettisoned from the aircraft and tracked by radar up to impact.
In September 2015 two avionic integration flights have been performed in Decimomannu airbase to check the aircraft-missile avionic interface.
