A once in a generation demonstrator
The Experimental Aircraft Programme, the EAP, was the technology demonstrator behind the Eurofighter Typhoon. Built in Britain during the 1980s, it combined technologies never brought together in a single aircraft before. It proved the hard things early and put us in a strong position to lead the programmes that followed.
The programme began in May 1983, when our predecessor company, British Aerospace, signed a contract with the British Government for a one-off research aircraft. Its job was to test pioneering technology for an advanced fighter. From first flight, EAP used a digitally controlled Flight Control System (FCS), which made the technically unstable aircraft very agile and allowed superior manoeuvrability by processing the pilots inputs and commands thousands of times per second. There were no rods linking the control sticks to the flight controls, and the wings were carbon fibre. Those features are standard today. At the time, none of it had been done before.
FIAS 1986
On 8 August 1986, test pilot Dave Eagles took it to 30,000ft and reached Mach 1.1, faster than the speed of sound. Three weeks later it appeared at the Farnborough Air Show. In June 1987 it flew its 100th flight at the Paris Air Show, having completed 100 flights in 10 months.
Flying ZF534
Chris Yeo, Former Chief Test Pilot talks to Steve Fomoso, Head of Flying at BAE Systems and Tony Godbold, FCAS Delivery Director at BAE Systems about his experiences of flying EAP ZF534 and how the technology has informed the course of aircraft development ever since.
Growing the legacy
The story that began with EAP did not end with Typhoon's first flight. The legacy continues with ongoing upgrades and new technologies continue to enhance its capability, ensuring it remains the backbone of combat air power for decades to come.
The EAP proved that focused investment in a demonstrator can shape decades of capability. That spirit of innovation isn't only part of our heritage. It's still happening today.
We're applying the same approach to the Tempest aircraft under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), working with partners to develop the next generation of combat air capability. The technologies are different and the challenges are greater, but the principle holds: prove the hard things early, build the skills to deliver them and give a new generation of engineers the confidence to push the boundaries of what we know.
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