British Aerospace EAP

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EAP
EAP at Loughborough University
Type	private venture demonstrator fighter
Manufacturer	British Aerospace
Maiden flight	8 August 1986
Retired	1 May 1991
Status	retired
Primary user	BAe
Number built	1
Variants	Eurofighter Typhoon

The British Aerospace EAP was a technology demonstrator aircraft developed as a private venture in the 1980s and which eventually formed the basis for the Eurofighter Typhoon.

Contents 1 History 2 Specifications (EAP) 2.1 General characteristics 2.2 Performance 3 Related content 4 External links

[edit] History

In 1982, British Aerospace exhibited a mockup of the Agile Combat Aircraft (ACA) at the Farnborough Air Show as well as the Paris Air Show in May 1983. The ACA combined several years of private venture research by BAe, costing around £25 million, with similar studies done by MBB (in the TKF-90 project) and Aeritalia. Plans were made by the three companies to produce two technology demonstrator aircraft based on ACA under the name "Experimental Aircraft Programme".

The British Government announced it would make a financial contribution to the EAP but a lack of funding from the West German government meant that the planned second airframe was cancelled. The sole EAP aircraft (serial ZF534) first flew on August 8 1986. The UK Ministry of Defence would eventually invest almost £80m in the EAP, the rest funded by BAe.

The Experimental Aircraft Programme was designed to research technologies to be used for a future European combat aircraft. The EAP was fitted with a variety of advanced electronic equipment, including three CRT displays and a HUD similar to the F-16's. A pair of Turbo-Union RB199-104 afterburning turbofans, powerplant of the Tornado Air Defence Variant, provided power, and a modified Tornado fin was used.

Initial definition of what became the Eurofighter project started soon after the EAP project was initiated. Without the research from ACA and EAP, the Eurofighter would not have been possible. While the similarity between the EAP and the Eurofighter/Typhoon is striking there are some important differences; the cranked delta wings of the EAP have been replaced with a straight delta, the size of the fin has been reduced dramatically and the rectangular intake of the prototype has been replaced with a "smiling" configuration.

The EAP aircraft was retired from service on 1 May 1991, and is currently located in the display area of the Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering department of Loughborough University. It is used to show the Aeronautical Engineering students the components of a fighter jet. Its port wing has been removed at the root to effectively show both the aerofoil cross-section and some of the internal components. Several other components have been removed from the aircraft for the purpose of viewing.

[edit] Specifications (EAP)

[edit] General characteristics

• Crew: one, pilot
• Length: 55 ft 1 in (16.80 m)
• Wingspan: 34 ft 5 in (10.50 m)
• Height: 19 ft 0 in (5.80 m)
• Wing area: ft² ( m²)
• Empty: 21,900 lb (9,935 kg)
• Loaded: lb ( kg)
• Maximum takeoff: 40,000 lb (18,145 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 x Turbo-Union RB199-104, 16,000 lbf (71.3 kN) thrust each

[edit] Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 2.27, 2,414 km/h (1,500 mph)
• Range: miles ( km)
• Service ceiling: ft ( m)
• Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
• Thrust-to-weight:

[edit] Related content

Related development: Eurofighter Typhoon

Comparable aircraft:

Designation sequence:

[edit] External links

• EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON from Greg Goebel's AIR VECTORS
• British Aircraft Directory entry