BAE Systems has successfully performed flight trials of Eurofighter Typhoon with MBDA's Brimstone air-to-surface weapon.

The trials were conducted using the UK Typhoon Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA) 6 to collect air data on the weapon and expand the carriage envelope.

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During the trials, Aero Data Gathering (ADG) flights were performed to test how the addition of the Brimstone weapon and other assets interacts with the aircraft’s flight control system software.

BAE Systems Military Air & Information business Chief Test Pilot Steve Formoso said: “The results have been excellent, with the pilot maintaining manoeuvrability whilst carrying a heavy weapons load.

“The detailed results of these trials will now be analysed and further testing carried out ahead of firing trials.

"The low-collateral Brimstone will provide the Typhoon pilot with the ability to precisely attack fast-moving targets at range, further enhancing the aircraft’s already potent air-to-surface capabilities.”

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The flight trials form a part of the ongoing development work on the Phase 3 Enhancement (P3E) package for Typhoon.

The P3E package also includes delivering sensor and mission system upgrades as part of Project Centurion to ensure a smooth transition of Tornado capabilities on to Typhoon for the Royal Air Force by the end of 2018.

"The low-collateral Brimstone will provide the Typhoon pilot with the ability to precisely attack fast-moving targets at range, further enhancing the aircraft’s already potent air-to-surface capabilities."

Nearly 40 trials were conducted by pilots from the Royal Air Force’s 41(R) Squadron to integrate Brimstone with Typhoon.

The aircraft flew with four AMRAAM, two ASRAAM, two Paveway IV laser-guided / GPS bombs and two launchers each containing three Brimstone missiles.

Additionally, firing trials are expected to be conducted later this year to test the effectiveness of the weapon in operational scenarios.

Image: Eurofighter Typhoon with MBDA's Brimstone air-to-surface weapon. Photo: courtesy of BAE Systems.