Ejection System

Emergency escape from the Eurofighter Typhoon is by the EF ejection system which incorporates the Martin Baker Mk.16A ejection seat - one of the world's most sophisticated ejection seats.

As with the Eurofighter Typhoon itself, the seat is constructed of light alloys and advanced composite materials such as Carbon Fibre and has many advantages over previous seats. Ergonomics, safety and maintainability have been given a high priority in order to maximise safety and minimise the workload of ground crew.

Reliability and maintainability are key elements of the design, with full access to in-cockpit components. The seat offers high comfort levels, and is integrated with on-board Molecular Sieve Oxygen Generation System (MSOGS), anti-g supply, Nuclear Biological and Chemical (NBC) defence and communication systems, together with interfaces for the helmet mounted systems. Furthermore, the narrow head box contributes to the Eurofighter Typhoon's excellent all-round vision.
Pilot workload has also been reduced with the Mk.16A - e.g. reduced number of actions for egress. The only thing a pilot needs to do in the event of an ejection is pull the firing handle, everything else from the canopy being jettisoned to the pilot being on a parachute is fully automatic and computer controlled.

Once the seat has been propelled clear of the cockpit, a rocket motor is fired to lift the seat clear of the aircraft and aerodynamic surfaces are deployed for stability. At this point the seat's technology comes to the fore. Airspeed measuring devices are deployed and the airspeed and altitude are fed to a digital microprocessor together with the accelerations the seat is experiencing. The computer then determines the safest sequence of timing of events to place the pilot on the parachute, all within milliseconds.

Travelling 600kts at sea level the pilot would be on the parachute within 1.8 seconds of pulling the ejection handle. In low speed/low altitude ejections the pilot's parachute is deployed within 0.7 seconds of pulling the handle.
To the Eurofighter Typhoon pilot the seat is a vital piece of equipment albeit one that it is hoped is never used.

Full clearance for the production system is now available for the twin seat aircraft which has successfully completed 450kt and 600kt system ejection tests.

High Resolution images of the Eurofighter Typhoon can be downloaded from our web site. Hard Copy images are available on request.

www.eurofighter.com/medialibrary
For more information contact

Dr. Theodor Benien
Vice President Communications

Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH
Am Söldnermoos 17
85399 Hallbergmoos
Germany

Tel.: +49 811 80 1555
Fax: +49 811 80 1557
Mobile: +49 (0)160 93 99 38 40
theodor.benien @eurofighter.com marco-valerio.bonelli @eurofighter.com