Directly on the air force base of the German Armed Forces in Laage near Rostock Hensoldt Services supports the German Eurofighter fleet to keep it operational. The Technical Diagnostic Cell (TDC) there is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
At the beginning of TDC, the use of automated diagnostic procedures and advanced tools, in combination with proximity to the customer, was still uncharted territory. “Over the years, however, customer proximity in particular has helped to ensure that the Eurofighter fleet can be deployed as effectively as possible,” according to a recent press release from the company.
Since 2003, the Eurofighter multi-role combat aircraft has been in service in Europe and numerous export nations – including the Austrian Armed Forces in Austria – in service. The TDC in Laage, which opened in 2004, was the first in Europe at the time, and the model served as a blueprint for other Eurofighter workshops worldwide: a TDC based on the same model followed in the United Kingdom just six months later. It did not take long for such a TDC to go into operation in Spain and Italy either. Within Germany, a second TDC – in Neuburg an der Donau – was set up a few years later, in 2011 to be precise. Today, the Technical Diagnostic Cell concept is also used outside Europe.
But what can such a TDC actually do? Specifically, Hensoldt’s TDCs act as a direct partner to the air force on site. This is because they make it possible to repair all components of the radar and the self-protection system on site within a very short time and release them for air operations. To guarantee this, the technicians are supported by diagnostic and test systems, while logistics teams work in the background to supply the TDCs with spare parts and technical expertise. The entire German Eurofighter fleet is supplied by the two workshops in Laage and Neuburg an der Donau.
In total, there are around 20 radar and ESM/ECM-related Line Replaceable Items (LRI) in the Eurofighter, i.e. main assemblies that are repaired on site in Hensoldt’s workshops. From the very beginning, the TDCs’ success model was the rapid repair of these LRIs. The targeted replacement of defective sub-assemblies from the LRIs means that only small sub-assemblies have to be sent on for more in-depth repairs. This should reduce downtimes and cut costs. This method has proved particularly effective for larger and more complex assemblies such as the Captor radar or the Praetorian self-protection system.
Depending on the situation – for example on the eastern border – the use of the German Eurofighters and therefore of course the need for repairs may increase. According to Hensoldt, the staff on site are prepared to react flexibly to these changes. Defects that can be repaired on site include electrical faults, damage, mechanical damage and corrosion.
Here for more Hensoldt news and here to further reports on the Bundeswehr.
