MTU Aero Engines is the first company worldwide to repair a component by patching, hand it over to the customer and obtain EASA approval for the innovative repair technique. In December, a repaired blisk from a low-pressure turbine of the Eurofighter's EJ200 engine was delivered to the National Quality Assurance Office for aviation equipment. The blisk needed repairing on account of foreign object damage to two engine blades. Earlier, MTU had been commissioned by the German air force to develop a repair solution for such cases. The new technique, dubbed patching, provides for cutting off the damaged portion of the blade and in its stead joining a replacement (the patch) to the blade using a welding process that had specifically been developed for the purpose. The final step of the repair is adaptive milling to restore the engine blade to its original contour.