Safety alert over Eurofighter

Safety problems with the RAF'S new £43million Eurofighter put it at risk of a disastrous and irrecoverable loss of control in flight, according to a classified Ministry of Defence report leaked to the Standard.

The report, produced three weeks ago, says the problems are so serious that the aircraft should not fly in cloud or perform "dynamic manoeuvres" such as those required in aerial combat unless it carries a second, fully-trained safety pilot.

The document says there is an "unquantifiable risk" that computer problems could cause a "catastrophic" failure of the aircraft in flight.

The verdict is another serious blow to the troubled Eurofighter programme - already beset by massive delays, cost overruns and political controversy. It comes in the official "release to service recommendations" report produced for the Eurofighter on 30 April by Qinetiq, the evaluation arm of the Ministry of Defence.

Qinetiq pilots spent eight months testing the aircraft in order to reach their verdict. They say Eurofighter can be released to RAF service, but only subject to severe restrictions and only once the safety issues they have exposed are investigated.

"I would not be happy if the aircraft entered service without the failures having been investigated and understood," said one MoD source. "How would you like to be on your final approach [to landing], with a low cloudbase, perhaps at night, and then find that your instruments have failed?"

It is understood, however, that the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal David Walker, approved the Eurofighter's release to service on 13 May, two weeks after receiving the report.

In the report, Qinetiq says it has found three "key issues" on the Eurofighter which it considers to be "extremely significant with regard to aircraft safety" and "unacceptable for release to service".

Like many of the latest generation of combat aircraft, Eurofighter is inherently unstable and relies on sophisticated flight-control computers to keep it in the air. However, the report finds that one key system - designed to alert the pilot when the aircraft is going too slowly - is inadequate. The result, says the report, is an "unacceptable" risk of "departure" - a complete and irrevocable-loss of control which would destroy the aircraft. Eurofighter is supposed to be equipped with a much-delayed system to prevent this, but until it is ready, Qinetiq says, each aircraft must be operated by two qualified pilots whenever flying "dynamic manoeuvres" such as those used in combat.

The report also says that the pilot's flight-information displays "frequently fail during flight" with the risk that the pilot "loses all flight reference data". These failures "could deny the pilot information at a critical stage of flight". They should have a fail-safe back-up but do not. The report recommends that when flying in "instrument meteorological conditions" - cloud - the Eurofighter should carry a second fully qualified pilot as a substitute fail-safe.

Qinetiq adds that "corruption" of the aircraft's flight-control computer system means it could suddenly switch from " inflight" mode to "ground" mode while in the air. This, says the report, "would be immediately catastrophic", almost certainly meaning the pilot would lose control and crash. The test pilots add: "This fault cannot be mitigated. It is therefore recommended as essential that the cause(s) of this fault are investigated, understood, and, if necessary, rectified before release to service."

Evening Standard repeatedly asked the Ministry of Defence what action had been taken to investigate, understand and rectify the fault, but received no specific reply. The MoD did, however, issue a statement saying: "Advice from Qinetiq identified areas requiring further work in order to minimise the risk to safe flying operations. As a result of this report the Eurofighter Typhoon was modified, procedures reviewed and limitations applied."

RAF sources said some of the recommendations raised by Qinetiq had been accepted. Others, such as the limitation on flying in cloud, had not because they were not regarded as serious. Sources at the MoD and the aircraft's manufacturer, BAE Systems, said the risk with the landing-gear computer was "infinitesimal" enough to be acceptable and had not caused any limitations on the aircraft.

When it finally enters full service, Eurofighter will become the cornerstone of the RAF's fleet.

But the safety problems identified by Qinetiq risk further serious hold-ups in what is already one of the MoD's most delayed projects, running four and a half years late and £2.3billion above its original cost.