Aplan has been set out by BAE Systems to accelerate the pace of enhancements for the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft telling Janes and other defence media, "It is about getting the right product at the right time to meet the customer needs." Speaking at the company's Warton production facility on 4 July, Business Development Director Europe Anthony Gregory spelt out the thinking behind the 'Tranche 5' Typhoon development work, as well as the progress being made to convert the concept to an operational reality for the 2030 time-frame. "We continue to put capability into the Typhoon, but it is getting to that stage where we need to fundamentally upgrade the infrastructure within the aeroplane, and the question is, 'How do we do that?' Looking at the Eurofighter programme at the minute, LTE Long Term Evolution has been talked about and talked about, but we recognise that we now need to generate output quicker," Gregory said. "So, we are investing out money to try and get ahead of the curve, to try and prove new capabilities, to try and generate new capabilities, particularly in the UK, to try and bring them into service. We have labelled this Tranche 5 to express that fundamental shift from where we are now into the next generation of the Eurofighter product."
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