EADS Mako/HEAT - Design and Development

Design and Development

The Mako design featured a single aft-mounted jet engine, fed by 2 air intakes at the roots of the mid-fuselage-wing. The wing is trapezoidal with a sharp taper. The horizontal tail is an all-flying unit mounted close behind the wing and at nearly the same height. The retractable landing gear is a tricycle unit. The two occupants share a highly streamlined bubble canopy.

Subcontractors would have included Diehl Aerospace, Finmeccanica-Aermacchi, Saab, EAB and Dassault Aviation. Potential customers would have likely been Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Finland, Greece, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates.

The intended engine was the General Electric F414M, which is a slightly derated version (at 75 kN) of the standard F414. The engine's final assembly might have been done by Volvo, as that company already assembles a version of the related GE F404/RM12 for Saab's Gripen fighter aircraft. EADS originally intended to use the Eurojet EJ200, but chose not to do so.

The Mako/HEAT was to be deployed at three shared bases around the continent of Europe, for use by all partner nations. There were nine candidate bases, in seven countries, but there was no final selection yet.

The Aermacchi M-346 trainer, also being proposed for Eurotrainer, made its maiden flight on July 15, 2004, and is being purchased by Italy and Singapore. As of 2010, EADS has yet to announce a date for the Mako's maiden flight. It is to all intents and purposes, defunct.