Since then, work has been undertaken by the Joint Aircraft Recovery and Transportation Squadron and Station personnel to prepare the aircraft for use by Royal Air Force aircraft technician apprentices at the Shropshire Station.
DA4 will be used to train the Royal Air Force’s future technicians in numerous ways, such as inspections of material and aircraft surfaces, and as part of the Flight Line Operations training. The Typhoon’s composite materials will provide a modern training aid for the foundation knowledge required to maintain 5th and 6th generation combat air systems, and the aircraft will also be used to develop contextual training for future deployments.
Group Captain Cameron Gibb, Station Commander, RAF Cosford and Commandant Defence School of Aeronautical Engineering said: ‘The arrival of Typhoon at RAF Cosford affords the next generation of RAF technicians access to the complex air systems they will go on to maintain when they reach their Squadrons. This will greatly enhance the RAFs ability to fly, fight and win’.
DA4, one of 7 development aircraft built with varying equipment fits and flight test roles, was initially used as a 2-seat avionics development aircraft at BAE Warton in Lancashire between 1997 and 2006 when it then became a ground instructional airframe at RAF Coningsby. It was transferred to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford in 2009.
People attending this year’s RAF Cosford Air Show on Sunday 9 June will be able to see DA4 as a static display.
Click on the link to watch DA4 being put back together to start it's training life at Cosford:
