EUROFIGHTER: First Prototype found its way into the German Museum
Manching, 03/15/2007.
In the future, it will be possible to visit the first EUROFIGHTER prototype called DA1 (Development Aircraft) in the German Museum. Recently, the aircraft was transported from Manching to the Schleissheim aircraft yard.
On the night of March 14 to 15, 2007 the DA1, the very first EUROFIGHTER prototype was transported to the German Museum. The aircraft was prepared for the transport by a Bundeswehr Technical and Airworthiness Center for Aircraft (WTD 61) team. The transport was performed over night and was routed via the motorway and then on byways to the aircraft branch of the German Museum, the aircraft yard in Schleissheim.
The DA1 was the first flying prototype of the test fleet of the EUROFIGHTER high-performance combat aircraft. The aircraft was developed and built by Eurofighter GmbH on behalf of the following four partner nations: Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain. It was operated by DASA at that time, a predecessor company of EADS.
On March 27, 1994 the prototype took off for its first flight from the flight test center in Manching. About one tenth of all test flights was performed under the responsibility of WTD 61 pilots.
During the twelve years of its operational lifecycle the prototype made numerous flights for testing and further developing the EUROFIGHTER. Above all, the DA1, which is mainly built of carbon fiber material, provided important data for safe flight operation. The tests served to optimize the complex digital flight control and to test the flight behavior in high speed ranges as well as to qualify for the type certificate. The DA1, for example, was the first EUROFIGHTER that flew at twice the speed of sound.
After a total of 578 technically demanding flights with nearly 500 flight test hours, the prototype was phased out on December 21, 2005 as scheduled as the first of originally seven aircraft representing the international test fleet.
