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Eurofighter Typhoon
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Eurofighter Typhoon

Eurofighter Typhoon

Description
Role Multi-role fighter
Crew 1 or 2
First Flight March 27 1994 (development aircraft)
Entered Service February 14 2003
Manufacturer Consortium: EADS, BAE Systems, Alenia
Dimensions
Length 15.96 m 52 ft 5 in
Wingspan 10.95 m 35 ft 11 in
Height 5.28 m 17 ft 4 in
Wing Area 50 m² 540 ft²
Weights
Empty 9,750 kg 21,500 lb
Loaded 15,550 kg 34,280 lb
Maximum Takeoff 21,000 kg 46,300 lb
Capacity
Powerplant
Engines 2 x Eurojet EJ200 turbofans
Dry thrust 60 kN 13,490 lb
Afterburner thrust 90 kN 20,220 lb
Performance
Maximum Speed 2,390 km/h 1,480 mph
Combat Range 1,390 km 860 miles
Ferry Range 3,700 km 2,300 miles
Service Ceiling > 18,000 m > 60,000 ft
Rate of Climb 15,240 m/min 50,000 ft/min
Wing Loading 311 kg/m² 63.7 lb/ft²
Thrust/Weight 1.85 N/kg (empty)
Power/Mass kW/kg hp/lb
Avionics
Avionics CAPTOR radar
Armament
Guns 1 x 27 mm Mauser BK-27 cannon
Bombs Paveway 2, Paveway 3, Enhanced Paveway, JDAM
Missiles AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-88 HARM, AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-132 ASRAAM, AIM-120 AMRAAM, IRIS-T, MBDA Meteor, ALARMs, Storm Shadow(AKA "Scalp EG"), Brimstone, Taurus, Penguin
Rockets
Other Laser designator, e.g. TIALD pod

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine multi-role canard-delta fighter aircraft, very similar to the American Rockwell-MBB X-31 prototype and designed and built by a consortium of European nations formed in 1983.

Table of contents
1 History
2 Production
3 Inventory
4 Combat Performance
5 Versions
6 Characteristics
7 Development timeline
8 Pictures
9 References
10 External links

History

The initial members were the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
In 1985 France withdrew in favour of the 100% French Avions de Combat Expérimentaux (ACX) project (which later became the Dassault Rafale).

Initial requirements were as follows - UK:250, Germany:250, Italy:165 and Spain:100, with production workshare directly proportional to procurement, British Aerospace (33%), Daimler-Benz (33%), Aeritalia of Italy (21%), and CASA of Spain (13%).

Over the next five years, design work continued, aided by data from the British Aerospace EAP prototype which had first flown in August, 1986. The maiden flight of the Typhoon prototype took place on March 27,1994 (then just known as the Eurofighter EF 2000). Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm chief test pilot Peter Weger took the prototype on a test flight around Bavaria. The 1990s saw significant arguments over workshare, the specification of the aircraft and even participation in the project.

When the final production contract was signed revised procurement totals were as follows UK:232, Germany:180, Italy:121 and Spain:87, with production again proportional to procurement, British Aerospace (37%), DASA (29%), Aeritalia (19.5%), and CASA (14%).

Development is carried out by Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, based in Munich and wholly owned by BAE SYSTEMS (formerly British Aerospace) in the UK, Alenia Aerospazio in Italy and the EADS Deutschland Aerospace Group (formerly DaimlerChrysler and incorporating Deutsche Aerospace AG) and EADS Spain (formerly CASA).

On July 2, 2002 the Austrian government announced the decision to buy the Typhoon as its new air defense aircraft. However, the contract wasn't signed at this time due to floods, an election and political controversy. The purchase of 18 Typhoons was finally signed on July 1, 2003. The cost was €1,959 million and included 18 aircraft, training for pilots and ground crew, logistics, maintenance and a simulator. The full, fly-away price of a single Typhoon works out as €62.9 million.

The project has been named and renamed a number of times since it's inception being known as EFA (European Fighter Aircraft), Eurofighter, EF2000 (Eurofighter 2000) and most recently Typhoon.

Production

The Eurofighter Typhoon is unique in modern combat aircraft in that there are four separate assembly lines (the F-16 was only produced internationally under limited licences). Each partner company assembles its own national aircraft, but builds the same parts of all 620 aircraft.

Production is divided into three "tranches" (see table below) with an incremental increase in capability with each tranche. Tranches are further divided up into batches, for example of the RAF's Tranche one twin seaters T1s are batch 1 and T1As are batch 2.

Production summary
Tranche 1 Tranche 2 Tranche 3 TOTAL
Germany 44 68 68 180
Italy 29 46 46 121
Spain 20 33 34 87
UK 55 89 88 232
TOTAL 148 236 236 620

Inventory

Despite many delays and controversies over cost, the Typhoon is now in series production.

In British service, the aircraft is supposed to replace the Tornado F3 and the Jaguar GR3A. The Tornados will be replaced from 2006-2010, and the Jaguars from 2010-2014. Initial deliveries of the Typhoon to the RAF have begun. The first unit to form was an Operational Evaluation Unit, No. 17 Sqn in 2003 followed by the Operational Conversion Unit, 29 Sqn at BAE Warton in 2004. The aircraft are expected to move to RAF Coningsby in 2005. The initial designations for the RAF aircraft are T1 for the two seater trainer, and F2 for the single seater operational fighter.

An extensive overseas sales effort has so far yielded an order from Greece for 60 aircraft, and an order from Austria for 18 units. Norway has also expressed interest, but has yet to buy any Eurofighters. Other countries expressing interest include South Africa, Chile, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

The Typhoon could possibly meet the requirements of the UK's Future Offensive Air System programme which is seeking to replace the deep-strike capability provided by the Tornado GR4. If selected the Typhoon would likely be modified for internal weapons carriage and increased internal fuel capacity.

Combat Performance


The German Chancellor with a
new Luftwaffe Eurofighter

For a detailed comparison of the Typhoon and other fighters see: Comparison of 2000s fighter aircraft.

The Typhoon's combat performance, particularly compared to the upcoming F/A-22 Raptor and F-35 fighters under development in the United States and the Dassault Rafale developed in France, has been the subject of some speculation. While making a complete assessment is impossible on publicly available information, there is a study by DERA comparing the Typhoon with other contemporary fighters. Whilst the Typhoon lacks the all-aspect stealth technology of the F/A-22, the design does incorporate many low-observable features resulting in a much smaller radar cross-section than earlier fighters. It is also capable of sustained supersonic cruise without using afterburners - the only fighter other than the F-22 capable of it. According to EADS, the maximum speed possible without reheat is Mach 1.5 (although this drops to Mach 1.3 with an air-to-air weapons load).

The DERA Study

Britain's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (now split into QinetiQ and DSTL) did an of evaluation comparing the Typhoon with other fighters in how well they performed against an expected adversary aircraft, the Sukhoi Su-35.

The study used real pilots within system of networked eurofighter simulators developed by Digital Image Design, which was responsible for the famous EF2000 videogame in the 90's. Various western aircraft were put in simulated combat against the Su-35. The results were:

F/A-22 Raptor     10.1 : 1
Typhoon            4.5 : 1
Rafale             1.0 : 1
Su-35              1.0 : 1
F-15C              0.8 : 1
F/A-18+            0.4 : 1
F/A-18C            0.3 : 1
F-16C              0.3 : 1
These results mean, for example, that in simulated combat, 4.5 Su-35s were shot down for every Typhoon lost.

The "F/A-18+" in the study was apparently not the current F/A-18E/F, but an improved version. All the western aircraft in the simulation were using the AMRAAM missile, except the Rafale which was using the MICA missile.

One must bear in mind that the full details of the simulation haven't been released, making it hard to verify whether it gives an accurate evaluation of the capabilities of these aircraft (for instance, whether they had adequate knowledge of the Sukhoi and Raptor to realistically simulate their combat performance). Nor is the DERA an entirely disinterested party, as part of the British defence establishment.

Versions

Characteristics

Development timeline

Pictures

References

External links

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