DEFENCE Secretary George Robertson took to the skies in the next generation of RAF fighters.

As part of his visit to British Aerospace's Warton site Mr Robertson became the first non-pilot passenger of the Eurofighter Typhoon with project pilot John Turner. During the flight, BAe's two-seat development aircraft DA4 reached speeds in excess of 900mph, demonstrating its supersonic, supercruise and general handling capabilities in an hour long flight over the Irish Sea.

On landing, Mr Robertson said: "Eurofighter is an incredible aircraft, its speed and agility in the air is astounding.

"With production now launched and the performance of the aircraft exceeding all expectations, I am fully confident that Eurofighter is the right aircraft for the RAF as it enters the new Millennium."

Chief of Air Staff, ACM Sir Richard Johns, flew the Eurofighter from Warton only a few days earlier. He said: "I have very much been looking forward to flying Eurofighter and am delighted to have done so."

Several European countries have expressed an interest in the Eurofighter together with Australia and Singapore.

At the peak of production, Eurofighter will support 14,000 jobs in the aerospace industry, with another 16,000 in suppliers of goods and services. Involving over 400 companies this is the largest defence programme in Europe.

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