Aircraft takes pride of place at RAF Museum Cosford

The EAP – the aircraft developed from the Experimental Aircraft Programme of the 1980s – was unveiled yesterday at the RAF Museum Cosford.

Its arrival marks the start of a four-year programme which will commemorate both the centenary of the start of World War I this year, and the centenary of the Royal Air Force in 2018.

As part of the four-year commemoration project, Cosford will host a new exhibition from December this year to mark the role of aviation in World War I. The museum will also have new exhibits as part of a project to transform the experience for visitors.

Among those at the museum to see the aircraft unveiled were its original test pilot and the 86-year-old daughter of Barnes Wallis, the man whose revolutionary 'bouncing bombs' changed World War II.

The aircraft – which inspired the Eurofighter Typhoon now in use in combat zones across the world – has taken pride of place in the Test Flight hangar at the museum alongside other influential prototypes like the TSR2 and stainless steel Bristol Type 188.

Yesterday's ceremony also marked the start of a partnership between BAe Systems and the museum to transform the popular attraction and bring in even more displays to mark 100 years of military flight.

BAe, whose predecessor British Aerospace developed the EAP, has a division at Hadley Castle in Telford producing combat vehicles for the British Army.

David Eagles, 78, who flew the EAP on its first test flight in 1986 and many more times over the next five years, said he was delighted to see it at Cosford.

He said: "It's wonderful, it's so nice to see it. It was a bit of an icon.

"The thing I like is that it hasn't been repainted. It's still looking scratched and well used, as it always did.

"It was a working aircraft, and great to fly."

Mr Eagles had travelled to Cosford from his home in the Cotswolds with his wife Ann.

Brendan Connor, deputy chairman of the museum's trustees, said the EAP's roots were in the West Midlands and that it had paved the way for later combat aircraft.

He said: "It's right to reflect on its significance. It was a project which cost, in 1980s values, £100 million.

"You might have thought that £100 million was handed over by the MOD but the programme was only 50 per cent funded, and other European partners declined to take part.

"So just as we were coming out of recession, the industry managed to fund the programme which ultimately brought so much value."

He paid particular tribute to engineering companies like Lucas, Dowty and Smiths, as well as the then Minister for Defence Michael Heseltine, for getting the project off the ground, and said it was fitting that the aircraft was now back in the Midlands where so many of the firms were based.

He said the museum had "ambitious plans" to develop in the future, in partnership with BAe.

He said: "We are going to concentrate on the visitor experience. At Cosford we have an excellent track record, having opened the National Cold War Exhibition six years ago. That has exceeded all our expectations."

He said a structured programme of volunteering opportunities would also be put in place, and the museum aimed to become a centre of excellence for academic study and apprenticeships.

Chris Boardman, managing director of BAe Systems' military air and information business, said the arrival of the aircraft at Cosford ended a 30-year journey which started with his working on the EAP project as an apprentice.

He said: "A great deal has changed since our test pilot David Eagles flew it for the first time.

"To watch Dave take off, that was a very proud moment for me. We all know the Eurofighter Typhoon was born out of the EAP - and the Typhoon is the best combat aircraft available in the world today, there is no doubt about that.

"The thing that hasn't changed about our company is the people and their vast capability for innovation and drive - it's in our DNA.

"The EAP joins a museum which has the pick of the legends of the sky. It's testament to all the technicians and pilots who have to battle through incredible odds to do what they are often told they can't do."

Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard, whose constituency covers Cosford, said: "It was a delight to attend the new exhibition.