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Eurofighter Typhoon is an agile, highly maneuverable, twin-engine
strike fighter, designed primarily for air superiority and air
supremacy missions, with secondary attack capability. The aircraft's
ability to gain air superiority beyond visual range (BVR) and
in close combat, and at the same time deliver high sortie rates
against air, naval and ground targets in all weathers with a
variety of weapons, demands close attention to pilot workload.
In Eurofighter the pilot flies through use of a computerized
flight control system, which offers full carefree handling.
The Saudi Typhoon order is now secured. Eurofighter GmbH has
signed a contract with its shareholder BAE Systems acting as
the industrial prime contractor on this government to government
contract for the supply of 72 aircraft to the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia. The contract represents the second and most significant
export order for the Typhoon, first was the sale of 15 fighters
to Austria. Saudia is expecting the first Typhoons delivered
by 2009.
Including the recent order, the Typhoon order book now totals
707 Eurofighter aircraft. The four Partner nations ordered 620
aircrat: 180 for Germany, 121 for Italy, 87 for Spain and 232
for the United Kingdom. Austria placed an order of 15 aircraft,
the first two were delivered in July 2007. To date, 137 Series
Production Aircraft, including six Instrumented Production Aircraft
operated by industry, have been delivered to the customer Nations:
48 Royal Air Force, 37 German Air Force, 26 Italian Air Force,
18 Spanish Air Force and 2 to Austria. Thirty Tranche 2 aircraft
are already in final assembly. Avionics and engine testing has
already started for Type Acceptance of Block 8, to be achieved
in Spring 2008, with deliveries scheduled to begin in Summer
next year.
By the end of December 2007, 135 Eurofighter Typhoon have been
delivered to seven units in four nations. The nations’
fleets have accumulated over 30,000 flight hours by that date,
additon to over 5,600 test flight hours accumulated by the industry
fleet. Typhoon units began assuming responsibility for NATO
air defence operations in 2007, beginning in Italy and the United
Kingdom. Germany has followed since January 2008, commencing
Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) operations with Eurofighter Typhoon
at Neuburg. Spain is expected to follow soon.
The aircraft is developed and produced by the Eurofigther consortium,
which includes Alenia Aeronautica, BAE SYSTEMS, EADS Germany
and EADS CASA., of the four partner countries, Italy, United
Kingdom, Germany and Spain. 105 production aircraft have been
delivered to date including five Instrumented Production Aircraft
operated by industry and owned by the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado
Management Agency NETMA.
The Typhoon began its air force career as an air superiority
fighter, but in recent months it is beginning to unlock its
multi-role potential. NATO Eurofighter Tornado Management Agency
(NETMA) has committed to the first phase of the Tranche 2 forward
development program providing for precision
attack capability for the Typhoon, introduction of Paveway
IV and Enhanced GBU-16 alongside work to integrate a Laser Designator
Pod. Combined with the Type
Acceptance of the Block 5 aircraft, the enhanced ground
equipment for use with the Block 5 standard
is now cleared for use, including a more capable version the
Ground Support System. Folowing a successful test program seven
 Typhoons
from RAF XI Squadron, based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire participated
demonstrated their operational capabilitiesthe at the Green
Flag exercise at Nellis AFB in the USA. XI squadron's Typhoons
are expected to be declared 'combat ready' by the target date
of 1 July 2008. Over the two-week period the Typhoons dropped
a total of 67 munitions, comprising 43 Paveway II bombs, eight
enhanced Paveway IIIs and 16 1,000 lb (454kg) free fall weapons.
Exercise Green Flag West is a joint USAF and Army exercise in
which close air support for ground forces is a crucial element
aimed at preparing air and ground forces for deployment to overseas
operational areas. It is played out in scenarios which simulate
the sort of asymmetric combat experienced in conflicts such
as those in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Block
5 Capabilities
Block 5 supports full air-to-air and initial air-to-ground
capabilities. The aircraft is cleared for the 9g envelope as
intended, with additional features such as sensor fusion, the
full Direct Voice Input, enhanced GPS, and Defensive Aids Sub-System
(DASS) countermeasures including automatic chaff and flare dispensers.
The radar air-to-surface modes are enhanced with ground mapping,
and the aircraft also provides initial FLIR (Forward Looking
Infra-Red) capability. Block 5 Eurofighter Typhoon is cleared
to carry AMRAAM, ASRAAM, IRIS-T and AIM-9L air-to-air missiles,
as well as Paveway II laser-guided bombs and GBU-16s. External
fuel tanks are certified for supersonic flight, while air-to-air
refueling is cleared for all customer specified tanker types.
The British
RAF and Italian
Air Force received its first Block 5 aircraft in August
2007.
Tranche 2 Production Phase:
251 of the total 620 production Typhoons will
be "Tranche 2" standard. Additional aircraft are expected
to be delivered to Saudi-Arabia
under a recently agreed arms procurement program. Eurofighter
Typhoon aircraft production will soon progress to the next stage,
with the first flight of the Tranche 2 Typhoon which took place
at EADS Military Air Systems' site in Manching on January
16, 2008, piloted by EADS Test Pilot Chris Worning. The
significant Tranche 2 capabilities focus mainly on the new mission
computers which deliver the higher processing and memory capacity
required for the integration of future weapons such as Meteor,
Storm Shadow and Taurus. Differences in the build standard to
Tranche 1 are related to changes in production technology or
obsolescence.
The first aircraft fitted with full Tranch 2 avionics
is Instrumented Production Aircraft Seven (IPA7), is a German
single seat variant, representing the full Tranche 2 build standard.
The aircraft will be used to test and certify 'Type Acceptance'
for Typhoon Block 8 - the first capability standard of Tranche
2, anticipated for April 2008. This work will be carried out
together with the BAE Systems-operated IPA6 Tranch 1 Typhoon
fitted with Tranche 2 mission computer suite and avionics features.
The first series of EJ200 engine flight testing for Tranche
2 was successfully concluded at the end of November with IPA2
in Italy. Deliveries of Tranche 2 Eurofighter Typhoons to all
four Partner Nations will begin in Summer 2008 starting with
the British RAF. Deliveries are scheduled to run until 2013.
At present, 32 aircraft are in final assembly.
 Further
enhancements are currently considered within the Main Development
Contract (MDC), currently in final negotiation, formulating
the roadmap for the integration of future capabilities. Another
future enhancement will include the fielding of the e-scan AESA
radar capability. Recently, the Euroradar consortium conducted
the first flights of the CAESAR (Captor Active Electronically
Scanning Array Radar) antenna on DA5 at Manching, Germany.
Tranche 1 Upgrades:
The R2 Retrofit program is intended to bring all the earlier
Typhoons up to the Block 5 standard. All 115 Tranche 1 Eurofighter
Typhoon aircraft will be standardized through a series of "Capability
Upgrade" projects. Aircraft in Blocks 1, 2 and 2B, are
now being upgraded to Block 5 capability, also known as Final
Operational Capability (FOC), in order to maximize the aircraft
capability at the national fleet level. Upgrades will be included
in scheduled maintenance activities to enhance overall fleet
availability.
The first non-Block 5 aircraft to be brought to FOC standard
is BS021, the 21st single seater of UK production. Only a few
days later, German aircraft GS019 joined the program. Both are
Block 2B aircraft. This functionality standard represents the
full air-to-air functionality, whereas Block 5 includes this
plus the enhanced carefree handling air-to-ground capability
to drop laser guided bombs. As of February 2007,
six aircraft are undergoing retrofits (three in Germany, two
in the United Kingdom and one in Spain) with a seventh aircraft
soon to join the project in the UK.
Priority in the R2 programme is on the upgrade of Block 2B
aircraft, as less work is required to bring these aircraft to
the higher performance level. By the end of 2007, the combination
of Block 5 new aircraft deliveries and upgraded R2 aircraft
will enable the Partner Air Forces to meet their NATO commitment
goals.
Following on from Block 2B aircraft, Block 2 Eurofighter Typhoons
with the initial air-to-air capability will be upgraded. Finally
early Block 1 aircraft (all of them twin seaters) will enter
the program. All Tranche 1 aircraft are scheduled to complete
upgrade to Block 5 FOC standard by early 2012.
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defense has agreed an industrial
participation program with Eurofighter GmbH for the future enhancement
of the weapon system. With the evolving role of aerial attack
in modern combat, Typhoon's strike capability is also being
enhanced, with inclusion of relevant weapon systems, sensors,
targeting and communications packages as part of the baseline
aircraft. An important Typhoon feature is its capability to
operate from hastily prepared bases and small runways for worldwide
operations. The aircraft is equipped with an advanced multi-mode
radar and an extensive range of sensors and electronic countermeasures.
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