Eurofighter Announce Appointment of Chief Executive Officer as Organization is Strengthened
Hallbergmoos, 19 July 2002
Eurofighter GmbH today announced the appointment of Filippo Bagnato as the Chief Executive Officer to head a reorganized Eurofighter GmbH. Mr. Bagnato will formally take up post on the 1st September 2002. Mr. Bagnato, is currently Chief Operating Officer of Alenia Aeronautica.
The decision by the Eurofighter Partner Companies, Alenia Aeronautica, BAE SYSTEMS, EADS Germany and EADS-CASA, has been made as part of the future development of the company that will strengthen its role as a Prime Contractor and in overall Programme Management.
In addition to the appointment of a new CEO, the CEOs of the Eurofighter Partner Companies have also agreed the appointment of a new Supervisory Board with four senior members reflecting a clear signal of commitment to the Eurofighter programme.
Giorgio Zappa, President of Alenia Aeronautica
Steve Mogford, Chief Operating Officer BAE SYSTEMS
Dietrich Russell, President of EADS Aeronautics Division
Francisco Fernandez-Sainz, President EADS CASA
The reorganization of Eurofighter will lead to further improvements in quality and schedule adherence in delivery of the Eurofighter Weapons System. At the same time Eurofighter will be positioned to meet the demands for enhanced Eurofighter capability in the future. The new Eurofighter organization will have direct control of development and technical resources within the programme providing greater visibility for technology planning, cost control and competitiveness in the open market.
The reorganization process has been announced following detailed discussions with the four partner nations in an effort to shape the Eurofighter programme to a structure that can respond effectively to Entry to Service and their future capability enhancement requirements.
Commenting on the announcement General Manager, NATO Eurofighter Management Agency (NETMA), General Emilio Poyo Guerrero Sancho, said 'This is a positive development for the Eurofighter organization. The focus of the new company on cost and schedule delivery should bring significant gains to the four nation partners in the enhancement of the Eurofighter Weapons System.'
The reorganization of Eurofighter will also result in a single focus for development, production, enhancement and commercial issues for potential export orders. The roles previously allocated to Eurofighter International Ltd., will be integrated into the new organization thus achieving beneficial synergies from core and export programme activities.
Imagery
High-resolution pictures of the Eurofighter CEO and the Supervisory Board Members are available at:
www.eurofighter.com
For More Information contact:
Ian Bustin
Vice-President Communications
Telephone: +49 (0)811 80-1555
Mobile: +49 (0)172 8443023
Fax: +49 (0)811 80-1557
E-mail: info@eurofighter.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Eurofighter Typhoon is the world's most advanced swing-role combat aircraft, developed by the leading aerospace companies, Alenia Aeronautica, BAE SYSTEMS and EADS, of the four partner countries, Italy, the UK, Germany and Spain. Eurofighter Typhoon features unrivalled technology, designed for the fighter requirements of modern air forces.
Agile and highly maneuverable, the twin-engine Eurofighter Typhoon is designed to operate from hastily prepared bases and small runways for worldwide operations. It is equipped with an advanced multi-mode radar and an extensive range of sensors and electronic countermeasures.
The aircraft's ability to gain air superiority beyond visual range (BVR) and in close combat, and at the same time deliver high sortie rates against air, naval and ground targets in all weathers with a variety of weapons, demands close attention to pilot workload. In Eurofighter the pilot flies through use of a computerised flight control system, which offers full carefree handling.
A strong emphasis has been placed on reducing cost of ownership in addition to outstanding performance and flight safety. Reliability, low cost of maintenance and a sophisticated on-board testing system ensure ease of day to day management and through life costs. Eurofighter Typhoon is less expensive to run than the generation of aircraft it is designed to replace.
The Eurofighter partner nations will take delivery of 620 aircraft: 180 for Germany, 121 for Italy, 87 for Spain and 232 for the United Kingdom.
The first three production Eurofighter aircraft recently joined the flight test programme following maiden flights in April 2002. Initial deliveries to the four partner nations is expected towards the end of 2002.
Eurofighter has been selected by Austria to meet the requirement for a future fighter for the Bundesheer in an announcement by the Austrian Chancellor on 2 July 2002. Detailed contract negotiations are expected to be complete by the Autumn.
