Austrian Armed Forces Eurofighters are currently securing the airspace again for the 2017 World Economic Forum in Davos. The World Economic Forum is taking place from 17 to 20 January in the Swiss ski resort and, according to the organizers, has around 3,000 participants from politics, business and society, including numerous heads of state and government.
The Eurofighters are an essential element of this year’s airspace security operation “Daedalus17” in Austria, supporting the extensive security measures for the internationally renowned conference in Switzerland. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Eurofighter, Volker Paltzo, emphasized on the day before the event: “As the proven backbone of European air defence, Eurofighters are able to protect our customers’ airspace reliably and efficiently. Thanks to their maneuverability, agility and enormous performance, they are predestined to take on this task quickly and effectively. The operational capabilities of the Eurofighter also play an extremely important role in securing such an important conference as the World Economic Forum.” In recent years, all Eurofighters stationed in Zeltweg have been equipped with upgraded hardware and software and now meet the latest capability standard for Tranche 1 aircraft.
As in Austria, the Eurofighters are also available around the clock for Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) missions with the air forces in Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain and Saudi Arabia. In addition, they are currently also deployed in the Baltic States to secure the airspace over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as part of the NATO “Baltic Air Policing” mission. Since entering service in 2003, more than 490 aircraft have already been delivered. The global Eurofighter fleet has now successfully completed over 380,000 flight hours.
Picture: BMLVS/Zinner
