The Euro-Fighter is a type of

steel roller coaster A steel roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its steel Railway track, track, which consists of long steel tubes that are run in pairs, supported by larger steel columns or beams. Trains running along the track typically rely ...

developed by

Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH is a German manufacturer of stationary and transportable amusement rides and roller coasters, located in Münsterhausen, Germany. As of May 2024, all 113 Gerstlauer-made rollercoasters are still in operation an ...

. 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 roll A barrel roll is an aerial maneuver in which an airplane makes a complete rotation on both its longitudinal and lateral axes, causing it to follow a helix, helical path, approximately maintaining its original direction. It is sometimes describe ...

s. Almost all Euro-Fighter models have a vertical chain-driven

lift hill A lift hill, or chain hill, is an upward-sloping section of track on a roller coaster on which the roller coaster train is mechanically lifted to an elevated point or peak in the track. Upon reaching the peak, the train is then propelled from t ...

, although

LSM LSM may refer to: Science *Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (Modane Underground Laboratory), a particle physics laboratory in France *Lanthanum strontium manganite, a crystal used as a cathode material *Confocal microscopy, Laser scanning microsc ...

launch systems are also available. Kaernan

Riders are transported in individual cars around the track, which feature two rows of four seats. Two exceptions are ''

Huracan Huracán (; ; , "one legged"), often referred to as ''U Kʼux Kaj'', the "Heart of Sky", is a Kʼicheʼ people, Kʼicheʼ Maya mythology, Maya god of wind, storm, fire and one of the creator deities who participated in all three attempts at crea ...

'' 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 Hansa-Park is a seasonal amusement park in Sierksdorf, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany off the Baltic Sea. It was opened on May 15, 1977 under the name Hansaland and renamed Hansa-Park in 1987. It currently spans and includes more than 125 attractio ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, was the first Euro-Fighter to incorporate both a vertical lift and an

launch in the same circuit.

Installations

References

{{Reflist

External links

Gerstlauer official website
Mass-produced roller coasters Roller coasters manufactured by Gerstlauer