Airbus Defence & Space flew the first Eurofighter EF-2000 built to Tranche 4 standard under Project Quadriga on 14 July 2026 from its Manching final assembly line, marking the maiden flight of Germany’s most advanced operational variant ahead of Luftwaffe delivery later in 2026 [1][2][9]. Aircraft 34+02, a single-seat example, completed a one-hour Production Flight Acceptance Test evaluating control characteristics, engines, digital flight controls, hydraulic and electrical systems, and cockpit instrumentation with no anomalies detected [1][16]. This milestone validates the Tranche 4 baseline featuring the Step 0 AESA radar configuration, confirming Airbus’s production tempo meets the 38-aircraft contract schedule with deliveries running through 2030 [1][8][13]. The flight initiates the final assembly phase for the Quadriga batch, replacing Tranche 1 fighters and sustaining Eurofighter production until the Tranche 5 fleet enters service in the early 2030s [6][8][10].