Kuwaiti Eurofighter With E-Scan Radar Makes First Flight

The first Eurofighter jet equipped with Captor E-Scan Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar made its first flight at the Flight Test Centre of Leonardo Aircraft Division in Turin-Caselle, on Monday.

"On the 23rd December 2019 at the Flight Test Centre of Leonardo Aircraft Division in Turin-Caselle, the first Instrumented Series Production Aircraft (ISPA 6) equipped with the Kuwait Air Force configuration has successfully completed its first flight," Eurofighter announced.

The aircraft is the first to fly the innovative Captor E-Scan Radar with Phase Enhancement P3Eb, and is a key milestone for the entry into service of Eurofighter with the State of Kuwait.

A contract for the supply of 28 Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role fighter aircraft for $8.6 billion (KD 2.6 billion) was signed between the Ministry of Defense of the State of Kuwait and Leonardo in April 2016.

With Captor E-Scan radar and several new additions to the weapon system, this variant will put the Kuwait Air Force at the front-line of the fighter technology when the aircraft will enter into service with the State of Kuwait in 2020.

While other aircraft in different Eurofighter Partner Companies are testing specific parts of this configuration, including the development of the E-Scan radar in UK and Germany, this is the first flight of the entire package that will be delivered to Kuwait, the company said.

The capability package for Kuwait includes the integration of Storm Shadow and Brimstone and other air-to-surface weapons. Moreover it foresees the integration of a new advanced laser designator pod- Lockheed Martin Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod); the introduction of the DRS-Cubic ACMI P5 combat training pod and an enhanced navigation aid (VOR).