The Euro-Fighter is a type of steel roller coaster developed by Gerstlauer. First launched in 2003, the trademark feature of the roller coaster is its beyond-vertical drop, which reaches an angle greater than 90 degrees. Although the majority of Euro-Fighters are custom designed for each installation, every design so far has included the trademark drop. A number of different track elements are possible, including vertical loops, diving loops and barrel rolls. Almost all Euro-Fighter models have a vertical chain-driven lift hill, although LSM launch systems are also available.
Riders are transported in individual cars around the track, which feature two rows of four seats. Two exceptions are Huracan at the Belantis amusement park in Germany and Dare Devil Dive at Six Flags Over Georgia, which both feature cars similar to those used on Gerstlauer's launched roller coasters. The cars have over-the-shoulder restraints and may be themed (to an extent) according to the customer's requirements. Dare Devil Dive's cars were the first to use a new lap-bar only restraint system in 2011 and were used on several following models. Over-the-shoulder restraints continued to be offered on Euro-Fighters and an updated design eventually appeared on Defiance in 2022.
Flucht von Novgorod, located at Hansa Park in Germany, was the first Euro-Fighter to incorporate both a vertical lift and an LSM launch in the same circuit.
Installations Name Model Park Country Opened Status Vild-Svinet Model 500/8 BonBon-Land Denmark 2003 Typhoon Model 670/8 Bobbejaanland Belgium 2004 Speed: No Limits Model 600 Walygator-Sud Ouest (formerly Oakwood Theme Park) France ( formerly United Kingdom) 2006 Rage Model 320+ Adventure Island United Kingdom 2007 Mystery Mine Custom Dollywood United States 2007 SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge Custom Nickelodeon Universe Mall of America United States 2008 SAW: The Ride Custom Thorpe Park United Kingdom 2009 Falcon Model 320+ Duinrell Netherlands 2009 Flucht von Novgorod Custom Hansa Park Germany 2009 Huracan Custom Belantis Germany 2010 Dare Devil Dive Custom Six Flags Over Georgia United States 2011 Untamed Model 320+ Canobie Lake Park United States 2011 Takabisha Model 1000 Fuji-Q Highland Japan 2011 Eurofighter Model 320+ Zoosafari Fasanolandia Italy 2011 Iron Shark Model 380 Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier United States 2012 Abyss Custom Adventure World Australia 2013 Krater Model 380 Colombian National Coffee Park Colombia 2014 Serpent Model 320+ Parc Sindibad Morocco 2015 Predator Model 320+ IMG Worlds of Adventure United Arab Emirates 2016 Hydrus Model 320 Casino Pier United States 2017 Adrenaline Peak Model 320 Oaks Amusement Park United States 2018 Tantrum Model 380 Six Flags Darien Lake United States 2018 TMNT Shellraiser Model 1000 Nickelodeon Universe American Dream United States 2019 Vertika Model 440 La Récré Des 3 Curés France 2020 Defiance Custom Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park United States 2022 Vindfald Custom Tivoli Friheden Denmark 2024 Drakon Custom Paultons Park United Kingdom 2026
References
External links Gerstlauer official website