Germany suspends delivery of Typhoons

For the second time, manufacturing problems have caused issues with the delivery of new Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. Last year a problem with found with holes drilled in the aft fuselage not having burrs cleared out properly. This year, it's the exact same problem, but at the connection between the vertical fin, and aft fuselage.

All aircraft from Tranche 1 to 3A are affected. There are no short term effects expected, but long term fatigue issues could come into play. BAE Systems is responsible for both issues. Deliveries have been suspended while the issue is examined, and any potential warranty issues are resolved.

GOTTINGEN, Germany — The German Air Force has temporarily suspended delivery of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets following the discovery of quality problems involving the connection between the vertical stabilizers and the body of the aircraft.

In a notification to the German Bundestag, the Ministry of Defence said that drillings and the removal of burr were not conducted according to specifications.

The Typhoon suffered a similar problem last year when Germany, Italy and Spain all halted deliveries of the jet after a number of drilled bolt holes in a different part of the rear fuselage were identified as having not been de-burred satisfactorily.

The Eurofighter consortium confirmed that it had now found a new manufacturing quality problem on the aircraft.

"A manufacturing non-conformance has been identified during the assembly of the fin to the rear fuselage of the aircraft manufactured to date. The topic is related to the holes drilled for four of the bolts that connect the fins to the rear fuselages," Eurofighter said in a statement.

www.defensenews.com...

a reply to: Zaphod58

I wonder if BAE needs instructors on the proper use of deburring tools?

Rule of thumb..Run your finger over over the holes...Both the tradesman and the Quality Control person need a kickin....

Pull all them rivets, deburr the holes and replace the rivets.

One at a time, by hand.

Clearly de-burring represents the highest order of captured alien technology. Mere humans cannot master such a thing.

Sounds like quality British engineering just like an old Jaguar or Rolls Royce.

Not going to lie, I would LOVE to de-burr those by hand if offered the job. How they passed the quality control is beyond me, unless they allowed them to go out that way.

Why by hand.There are tools that do it for you..I use a cordless drill on a low speed with a bigger drill bit.

I know a few people who work in that production line in Samlesbury, I even bought some of the jigs they use. My brother is still there so I will ask him if he knows anything.

This far down the line and they only discover issues now, got to wonder if it were a specific night shift but a failing of QC and assembly seems a bit off that both failed.

I do recall the first front fuselage coming off that line had steps and gaps issues and the first few composite vertical stabilizers had their composite laid in the wrong direction, but that was over 400 aircraft and over 10 years ago!

(I feel old all of a sudden).

a reply to: Forensick

typhoon.starstreak.net...

The link to that factory shows a few machines built in different countries. Seems like some procedure has obviously failed. But there is no excuse for QC inspectors missing this problem.
Should have gone to specsavers !

originally posted by: Blackfinger
Why by hand.There are tools that do it for you..I use a cordless drill on a low speed with a bigger drill bit.

That is for sure going to be rejected part.
I've had parts rejected because we used an 82 deg. counter sink to break the edge instead of a 90 deg, for a metric hole.
They actually measured the angle of the corner break on a bolt hole.

Typhoon is realy a plane of the past it look of a eighties plane,and with that problem of manufacture not realy great for the European industry.

a reply to: darksidius

Well we should just trash all the planes that look old and start over again with, what, something that looks like a space plane?

The Typhoon can take on anything short of an F-22 in BVR combat, and can hold its own against anything flying today in WVR combat.

a reply to: darksidius

The Typhoon pretty much is an aircraft from the 80's. Development of it started in 1983 even though it didn't take it's first flight in it's current config. till 1994. Still a good plane though.

originally posted by: madmick
a reply to: Forensick

typhoon.starstreak.net...

The link to that factory shows a few machines built in different countries. Seems like some procedure has obviously failed. But there is no excuse for QC inspectors missing this problem.
Should have gone to specsavers !

We used to Buy the wing to Fuselage brackets, you can see from your link the facility can and does make some of its own parts but it isn't a foundry so Castings, Forgings, extrusions, Superplastic Forming etc are out sourced, I don't remember a tail to empennage forging like I do the Wing to Fuselage, I was pretty much, wow, those wings, g-force, bombs and flex with 3 brackets holding them on? I was thinking more like the Harriers one wing all the way through.

Anyway I digress, it could be possible that the bracket is subcontracted and the holes were plugged to prevent damage and only uncovered where the Final Assy guys removed the tape and plugs? You do put QA tests onto subcontractors providing the are ISO cleared, in some cases they are supposed to have as good if not better QA than the guys building the plane.

a reply to: Forensick

When we had the ECs we had to do an upgrade to the tail HF antenna that required laying the tail over for easier access. There were only two bolts holding it on. Granted, they were big bolts, but there were only two.

a reply to: Zaphod58
No just something looking like a 5 th gen or 6th gen, Rafale in Europe for me much better than Typhoon , Rafale is more combat proven for now.

a reply to: darksidius

And fifth and sixth gen look like 4th gen.

a reply to: Zaphod58
Don't you think there is a difference between Typhoon and F-35 ?

a reply to: darksidius

Of course there is but the F-35 looks just like a 4th gen fighter.

a reply to: Zaphod58
Impatient to see the first 6th gen prototype