News in Spain

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The Spanish authorities have arrested 23 top members of Batasuna, the outlawed political wing of the armed terrorist group ETA (10/06/2007)

What do we know about Bilbao besides the Guggenheim? (23/09/2007)

How much do you want to spend on a good bottle of wine? (9/19/2007)

Oscar-nominated composer Alberto Iglesias has been awarded Spain's 2007 National Film Award (9/04/2007)

Seville, Spain's most flamboyant city (9/2/2007)

Spain international Antonio Puerta has died after suffering a heart attack (8/28/2007)

Spain's Paradise (8/26/2007)

Eurofighter Typhoon (8/22/2007)

Spain Offers a Legal Migration Route (8/11/2007)

More holidaying Britons have become victims of theft in Spain than anywhere else (8/11/2007)

Cubans in Madrid (8/03/2007)

The worst thing for someone who has planted vines (8/04/2007)

British rock group Coldplay have revealed that their new album will have an "Hispanic theme" (7/25/2007)

The Inquisition in Spain: Expected and Even Hailed (7/20/2007)

Wildfire experts from Spain have been training firefighters in Northumberland and Cumbria (7/19/2007)

"The margin squeeze that Telefonica imposed on its competitors not only raised their costs, but also harmed customers," the Commission said (7/04/2007)

A group of stressed-out people in Spain have been given a chance to let off steam by demolishing a hotel in Madrid (7/03/2007)

Scientists in Spain say that they have found a tooth from a distant human ancestor that is more than one million years old (6/30/2007)

Israeli writer Amos Oz has been awarded Spain's prestigious Prince of Asturias prize for literature (6/28/2007)

Dozens of passengers refused to take a flight from Spain to Scotland after fuel spilled from their plane before take-off (6/27/2007)

US director Woody Allen has held a secret premiere of his new film Cassandra's Dream in Spain (6/20/2007)

Goodbye Beckham (6/19/2007)

Passengers to Spanish airports should allow extra time to check in because of new security measures (6/18/2007)

US rock star Bob Dylan has won Spain's Prince of Asturias Arts Award - one of the country's most prestigious honours (6/14/2007)

The leader of banned Basque separatist party Batasuna has been arrested in northern Spain (6/08/2007)

A Spanish court has ordered the interception of two US boats (6/05/2007)

Spain, home to one of Europe's oldest national anthems, has never had an official verse to go with the tune (6/05/2007)

Six Scottish holidaymakers have been arrested by Spanish police after a drunken rampage on a plane (5/23/2007)

Independent political parties dominated by expatriates are campaigning for the first time in Spain's local elections (5/12/2007)

The race to create more human-like robots stepped up a gear this week as scientists in Spain set about building an artificial cerebellum (5/09/2007)

Spain's Crown Princess Letizia has given birth to a girl, named Sofia - her second child with Prince Felipe (4/30/2007)

County firm sells tapas to Spain (4/27/2007)

The sell-off in shares of Spanish real estate companies has eased after three days of falls that fanned fears of a possible property crash (4/26/2007)

Fears of a Spanish property crash have increased, prompting a sell-off in real estate shares (4/25/2007)

Italian energy firm Enel and Spanish construction firm Acciona have launched a bid for Spanish power firm Endesa (4/11/2007)

Eurofighter Typhoon
 
Eurofighter
 
August 22, 2007
 

Eurofighter was conceived by Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain in 1988 as a counter to the latest Russian fighters.
But technical challenges and the end of the Cold War led to calls for its cancellation.

As a result, the testing programme was delayed and the first prototype did not fly until 1994. Costs rose dramatically during the project and the UK's bill for buying 232 fighter planes soared from £7bn to an estimated £15bn.

Forty-three Typhoons were delivered to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire in June 2007 and the first squadron began active service in July 2007.

One of their first tasks was to shadow a Russian Bear-H aircraft detected over the North Atlantic ocean on 21 August 2007.


Light and agile

Eurofighter Typhoon

Technical data
: Two Eurojet EJ200 turbojet engines; Thrust - 20,000lbs; Top speed - 2 Mach; Max altitude - 19.8km (65,000ft); Equipped with advanced ECR90 radar; Aircrew - One
Armament: One 27-mm Mauser cannon; long-range Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM); various air-to-ground weapons
Manufacturers: BAE Systems (UK), EADS Deutschland (Germany), EADS CASA (Spain), Alenia Aeronautica (Italy)
In service with five air forces: Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and Austria
Number of planes ordered: 232 for the UK, 180 for Germany, 121 for Italy and 87 for Spain



Eurofighter was designed to be a fighter-bomber that could switch from dog-fighting in the air to attacking targets on the ground all during the same mission.

The aircraft can be scrambled within minutes and will play a key role in defending Britain's airspace, gradually replacing the Tornado F3.

Its engines, made by Rolls-Royce, give enormous power in relation to the aircraft's weight. The airframe is constructed of lightweight materials such as Carbon Fibre Composites, titanium and Glass Reinforced Plastics to enhance its agility and speed.

The canards, or foreplanes, act as air-brakes and help to reduce drag.

It is controlled by computers that feed instructions into the wings and tail far faster than a human pilot could manage, allowing the pilot to throw the plane around the sky and use entirely new tactics.

The pilot can use voice commands to carry out many functions and use a combined stick and throttle for deploying weapons and defensive aids.

Manufacturers have had to address claims the jet underperformed in early trials in 2004, particularly with regard to dogfight manoeuvrability.

The Ministry of Defence said those problems had been corrected.