Eurofighter Typhoon

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Eurofighter Typhoon

Two-seat Development Aircraft (DA4).

Type Multirole fighter

Manufacturer Eurofighter GmbH

Maiden flight 27 March 1994

Introduced 2003

Status Active service

Primary users Royal Air ForceAeronautica Militare ItalianaLuftwaffeSpanish Air Force

Number built 100 (as of October 2006) [1]

Variants Eurofighter Typhoon variants

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine multi-role canard-delta strike fighter aircraft, designed andbuilt by a consortium of European aerospace manufacturers, Eurofighter GmbH, formed in 1983.

The series production of the Eurofighter Typhoon is now underway and the aircraft has formally enteredservice with the Italian Air Force. 'Initial Operational Capability' is expected to be declared by Germany,Spain and the United Kingdom in 2006. Austria has purchased 18 Typhoons, while Saudi Arabia signeda contract on 18 August 2006 for 72 to be built by BAE Systems.

Development

In the mid 1970s France, Germany and the UK established the European Combat Aircraft programme(ECA). In 1979, following differing requirements (particularly the French requirement for carriercompatibility), British Aerospace (BAe) and Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm proposed the EuropeanCombat Fighter (ECF). The development of different national prototypes and continued differences overspecification lead to cancellation of the ECF programme in 1981.

As a result the Panavia partners (Germany, Italy and UK) launched the Agile Combat Aircraft (ACA)programme. Following the failure of Germany and Italy to fund development, the UK Ministry ofDefence (MoD) paid £80 m to BAe, to develop the Experimental Aircraft Programme technologydemonstrator (EAP). In 1983 the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain launched the Future EuropeanFighter Aircraft (F/EFA) programme. The aircraft was to have Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) andBeyond Visual Range (BVR) capabilities.

In 1984 France reiterated its requirement for a carrier-capable version and demanded a leading role. TheUK, Germany and Italy opted out and established a new EFA programme. The following year Franceofficially withdrew from the project to pursue its own ACX project, what was to become the DassaultRafale.

Eurofighter Typhoon T.1 of the Royal Air Force. The dark patch in the centre of the fuselage is the exhaust of theAuxiliary Power Unit

Also in 1985 the BAe EAP was rolled out at BAe Warton, by this time also funded by MBB and BAeitself. The EAP first flew in August 1986. The Eurofighter bears a strong resemblance to the EAP.Design work continued over the next five years using data from the EAP. Initial requirements were: UK250 aircraft, Germany 250, Italy 165, and Spain 100. The share of the production work was dividedamong the countries in proportion to their projected procurement - British Aerospace (33%), Daimler-Benz (33%), Aeritalia (21%), and Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA) (13%).

1986 also saw the establishment of the Munich based Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH to managedevelopment of the project and EuroJet Turbo GmbH, the alliance of Rolls-Royce, MTU Aero Engines,FiatAvio (now Avio) and ITP for development of the EJ200.

By 1990 the selection of the aircraft's radar had become a major stumbling block. Britain, Italy andSpain supported the Ferranti Defence Systems-led ECR-90, while Germany preferred the APG-65 basedMSD2000 (a collaboration between Hughes, AEG and GEC-Marconi). An agreement was reached afterUK Defence Secretary Tom King assured his West German counterpart Gerhard Stoltenberg that theBritish government would underwrite the project and allow GEC to acquire Ferranti Defence Systemsfrom its troubled parent. GEC thus withdrew its support for the MSD2000.[2]

The maiden flight of the Eurofighter prototype took place on March 27, 1994 (then just known as theEurofighter EF 2000). Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm chief test pilot Peter Weger took the prototype ona test flight around Bavaria. The 1990s saw significant arguments over work share, the specification ofthe aircraft and even participation in the project.

When the final production contract was signed in 1997, the revised procurement totals were as follows:UK 232, Germany 180, Italy 121, and Spain 87. Production was again allotted according toprocurement: British Aerospace (37%), DASA (29%), Aeritalia (19.5%), and CASA (14%).

The project has been named and renamed a number of times since its inception, having been known asEFA (European Fighter Aircraft), Eurofighter, EF2000 (Eurofighter 2000), and most recently Typhoon.

Costs and delays

The cost of the Eurofighter project has increased from original estimates. The cost of the UK's aircrafthas increased from £7 billion to £19 billion and the in-service date (2003; defined as the date of deliveryof the first aircraft to the RAF) was 54 months late.[3] Britain's commitment to its 88 Tranche 3 aircrafthas been questioned.[4]

In late 1990 it became apparent that the German government was not happy about continuing with theproject. The Luftwaffe was tasked to find alternative solutions including looking at cheaperimplementations of Eurofighter. The German concerns over Eurofighter came to a head in July 1992when they announced their decision to leave the project. However, on insistence of the Germangovernment some time earlier, all partners had signed commitments to the project and they foundthemselves unable to leave.

In 1995 concerns over workshare appeared. Since the formation of Eurofighter the workshare split hadbeen agreed at the 33/33/21/13 (United Kingdom/Germany/Italy/Spain) based on the number of unitsbeing ordered by each contributing nation. However, all the nations then reduced their orders. Britain cutits orders from 250 to 232, Germany from 250 to 140, Italy from 165 to 121 and Spain from 100 to 87.According to these order levels the workshare split should have been 39/24/22/15UK/Germany/Italy/Spain, Germany was however unwilling to give up such a large amount work. InJanuary 1996 after much negotiation between UK and German partners, a compromise was reachedwhereby Germany would take another 40 aircraft from 2012 and a new workshare of 30%, the eventualsplits becoming 37/30/20/13 (UK/Germany/Italy/Spain).

The next major milestone came at the Farnborough Airshow in September 1996. The UK announced thefunding for the construction phase of the project. In November 1996 Spain confirmed its order butGermany again delayed its decision. After much diplomatic activity between Britain and Germany, an

interim funding arrangement of DM 100 million (€51 million) was contributed by the Germangovernment in July 1997 to continue flight trials. Further negotiation finally resulted in Germanapproval to purchase the Eurofighter in October 1997.

Though most of the programme's problems have been political, with major delays imposed by fundingdelays and governmental procrastination, the Typhoon has suffered some minor technical problems.

On 21 November 2002, DA-6, the Spanish two-seater prototype crashed due to an engine problem. Theproblem was said to be specifically related to the experimental trial standard of engine being used bythat aircraft. On 16 January 2006 an RAF Typhoon T1 made an emergency landing at RAF Coningsby.The nosewheel failed to deploy, via either the normal or emergency systems. The aircraft landed on themain gear and used aerodynamic braking whilst simultaneously deploying the brake chute. The nosewas then gently lowered, minimising the damage to the aircraft. The pilots vacated the aircraft once asuitable ladder was positioned next to the aircraft. [5] The RAF Typhoon T1 has now been returned toservice.

In 2004 German newspapers reported that the few Eurofighters in service with the Luftwaffe did notthen meet specifications. Because of technical difficulties, the aircraft was reportedly only allowed totake off without cannon ammunition and at moderate temperatures.[citation needed] Eurofighter GmbH andthe Luftwaffe denied these claims. It is important to note that it was always planned that early aircraftwould be delivered at a baseline state, with capability to be increased incrementally. BAE has stated thatthe capability of the aircraft will increase at a faster rate than the training of pilots.[citation needed]

In November 2006 BAE Systems commenced an upgrade programme to bring 43 tranche 1 RAFTyphoons up to a common standard. Scheduled maintenance will take place at the same time as theupgrades.[6]

Production

RAF Typhoon F2

The Eurofighter Typhoon is unique in modern combat aircraft in that there are four separate assemblylines. Each partner company assembles its own national aircraft, but builds the same parts of all 620aircraft.

Alenia – Left wing, outboard flaperons, rear fuselage sections BAE Systems – Front fuselage (including canards), canopy, dorsal spine, tail fin,

inboard flaperons, rear fuselage section EADS Germany – Main centre fuselage EADS CASA – Right wing, leading edge slats

Production is divided into three "tranches" (see table below) with an incremental increase in capabilitywith each tranche. Tranches are further divided up into batches and blocks, eg the RAF's Tranche onetwin seaters are batch 1 T1s and batch 2 T1As.

Production Summary

Country Tranche 1 Tranche 2 Tranche 3 Total

Austria 0 18 0 18

Germany 44 68 68 180

Italy 29 46 46 121

Saudi Arabia 0 48 24 72

Spain 20 33 34 87

United Kingdom 55 89 88 232

TOTAL 148 302 260 710

Exports

In 1999 the Greek government agreed to acquire 60 Typhoons in order to replace its existing second-generation combat aircraft. [7] However, the purchase was put on hold due to budgetary constraints,largely driven by other development programs and the need to cover the cost of the 2004 SummerOlympics. In June 2006 the government announced a 2.2 billion euro multiyear acquisition planintended to provide the necessary budgetary framework to enable the purchase of a next-generationfighter over the next 10 years. The Typhoon is currently under consideration to fill this requirement,along with the F-22 Raptor, Rafale and F-35 Lightning II. [8]

On July 2, 2002, the Austrian government announced the decision to buy the Typhoon as its new airdefence aircraft. The purchase of 18 Typhoons was finalised on July 1, 2003, and included 18 aircraft,training for pilots and ground crew, logistics, maintenance, and a simulator. The future of this order hasrecently been questioned in the Austrian parliament.[9]

After unsuccessful campaigns in South Korea and Singapore, on 18 August 2006 it was announced thatSaudi Arabia will purchase 72 Typhoons. [10] It is reported that the Saudis have threatened to buy Frenchplanes instead because of a UK Serious Fraud Office investigation into the original Al Yamamahdefence deals in the 1980s. [[2]]

Other countries that have expressed interest in the Typhoon are India [11], Denmark [12], Norway,Pakistan and Turkey, while the type was rejected by South Korea and Singapore. Less likely 'prospects'have reportedly included Chile and Brazil.

Versions

Eurofighter Typhoon prototype on display at Dubai Air Show 1998. Note the multiple roundels forthe air forces: (left to right) Spanish Ejército del Aire, Italian Aeronautica Militare, British Royal Air

Force, and German Luftwaffe.

The Eurofighter has so far been produced in three major versions; seven Development Aircraft (DA),five production standard Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA) for further system development andSeries Production Aircraft. These Series Production Aircraft are the aircraft now operational with thepartner air forces.

Combat performance

Eurofighter Typhoon of the Royal Air Force displaying at the Farnborough Air Show, 2006

Its combination of agility, performance, stealth features and advanced avionics make it one of the mostcapable fighter aircraft currently in service. Compared to its rivals, Typhoon's cockpit and man/machineinterface are claimed to be significantly advanced and intuitive, resulting in a lower pilot workload,building on the early glass cockpits pioneered by aircraft like the F/A-18 and Mirage 2000, lookingsimilar, but working in a much more intuitive and effective way, with given operations requiring fewerpilot inputs. The conventional HOTAS-concept was enhanced with a direct voice input system to allowthe pilot to perform mode selection and data entry procedures.

The Typhoon's combat performance, particularly compared to the new F-22A Raptor and the upcomingF-35 fighter under development in the United States and the Dassault Rafale developed in France, hasbeen the subject of much speculation. While making a reliable assessment is impossible with availableinformation, there is a study by the UK's DERA comparing the Typhoon to other contemporary fighters.In it, the Typhoon was second only to the F-22A in combat performance. Especially in France, it isclaimed that 10 years after this study, Typhoon hasn't shown evidence of any superiority duringinternational competitions, though recent UK and US reports (in Flight Daily News, Aviation Week,Show News and Defence Analysis for example) indicate that the aircraft was the preferred technicalsolution in Singapore, though Typhoon was ousted from the competition before Rafale and F-15.

In March 2005, United States Air Force Chief of Staff General John P. Jumper, then the only person tohave flown both the Typhoon and the Raptor, talked to Air Force Print News about these two aircraft.He said that "the Eurofighter is both agile and sophisticated, but is still difficult to compare to the F/A-22 Raptor. They are different kinds of airplanes to start with; it's like asking us to compare a NASCARcar with a Formula 1 car. They are both exciting in different ways, but they are designed for differentlevels of performance". [13]

In June 2005, Scotland on Sunday reported that, when 'attacked' by two USAF F-15E Strike Eagle strikefighter aircraft, a Eurofighter on a 'Case White' conversion training sortie was able to out-manoeuvre theattacking aircraft and "shoot them down" (i.e., achieve radar lock for a long enough period of time toaccurately launch missiles, had this been real combat). [14] The Strike Eagle is primarily a ground attackcraft (the successor of the F-111 Aardvark), which may have affected the outcome. It is, however,generally agreed that the Eurofighter Typhoon's performance is significantly better than that of the F-15C/D, the current air superiority fighter variant of the F-15.

While the Typhoon lacks the all-aspect stealth technology of the F-22A, the design does incorporatesome low-observable features. Its actual detectability on radar is classified. Passive infrared targetdetection and tracking (air-to-air and air-to-surface) is provided by PIRATE (Passive Infra-Red AirborneTrack Equipment), serving also as a navigation and landing aid.

The Typhoon is capable of sustained supersonic cruise without using afterburners. The F-22A is the onlyother current fighter with supercruise capabilities. According to EADS, the maximum speed possiblewithout reheat is Mach 1.5 in what EF GmbH regard as a 'clean' configuration — e.g., without tanks, butwith four BVRAAMs and two IR AAMs. (Supercruise performance drops to Mach 1.3 with a full air-to-air weapons load, including tanks). Rafale's supercruise capabilities have been described as marginalwith the current engine (the aircraft failed to demonstrate the capability during the Singaporeevaluation), while the F-22 by comparison can supercruise rather faster with a full internal weaponsload.

Canards, lightweight construction (>70% carbon fibre composites) and the inherently unstable designwith a quadruplex digital control system providing artificial stability, allow superior agility both atsupersonic speed and at very low speed. The fly-by-wire system is described as "carefree" by preventingthe pilot from exceeding the permitted manoeuver envelope.

In 2002 the MBDA Meteor was selected as the long range air-to-air missile armament of EurofighterTyphoon [15][16]. Due to delays in Meteor development, Typhoon will be equipped with the RaytheonAMRAAM as a stop gap measure. The current in-service date for Meteor is predicted to be August 2012[17].

Air-to-ground capabilities

Typhoon has always been planned to be a swing role tactical fighter with robust air-to-groundcapabilities. However the RAF's urgent air-to-ground requirement has driven the integration of an"austere" air to ground capability, based on the Rafael/Ultra Electronics Litening III laser designator andthe Enhanced Paveway II G/LGB, earlier than was originally planned. A more comprehensive air tosurface attack capability will be achieved for all partner nations later in the decade.[18] The RAF'scapability will now be available in the Block 5 aircraft delivered at the end of Tranche 1 and, by retrofit,on all RAF Tranche 1 jets.

The absence of such a capability is believed to have been of pivotal importance in the type's rejectionfrom Singapore's fighter competition in 2005. When the Typhoon was dropped from the final shortlistthe Singaporean Ministry of Defence commented that: "the committed schedule for the delivery of theTyphoon and its systems did not meet the requirements of the RSAF."[citation needed] Flight Daily News

reported that Singapore was concerned about delivery timescales and by the Eurofighter partner nations'inability to accurately and finally define the content of the Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 Typhoon capabilitypackages.[citation needed] Singapore needed Tranche 2 capabilities that were 'road-mapped' but which arestill unfunded, and wanted them in a timescale that required Tranche 1 aircraft. The then unfundedinterim 'austere' air-to-ground capability being developed for the RAF Block 5 aircraft fell far short ofthe capability required. Despite this, according to Flight Daily News, Typhoon reportedly impressed theRSAF evaluation team enough to be the air force's favoured 'technical solution' though a "shambolicperformance by BAE Systems during the early part of the bidding process" undermined the Typhoon'schances.[citation needed] By addressing the aircraft's lack of air-to-ground capability, Eurofighter GmbHhopes to increase the Typhoon's appeal to other potential export customers and to make the aircraft moreuseful to partner air forces.

Testing of the latest air-to-ground Flight Control Software (FCS Phase 5), written by an EADS led team,began in 2006. The software will undergo rigorous testing in all four partner nations and six aircraft willbe used for testing and validating the required clearances. Completion of these tests will lead to the finalclearances for the Full Operational Capability (FOC) specified under the Main Development Contract.This is expected in early 2007 in time for the first Tranche 1 Block 5 aircraft. Alongside the Phase 5software tests, the FOC avionics functionality (including the new pilot helmet) is now also undergoingflight testing, following the conclusion of rig tests in 2005. The NATO Eurofighter and TornadoManagement Agency (NETMA) issued a clearance for flight testing in December 2005.

Specifications (Typhoon)

EJ200 engine (foreground)

General characteristics

Crew: 1 or 2 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) Empty weight: 11 000 kg (24,250 lb) Loaded weight: 15 550 kg (34,280 lb) Max takeoff weight: 23 500 kg (51,809 lb) Powerplant: 2× Eurojet EJ200 afterburning turbofans, 60 kN dry, 90 kN with

afterburner (13,500 lbf / 20,250 lbf) each

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 2.0+, 2390 km/h (1,480 mph) at high altitude; Mach 1.2,1470 km/h (915 mph) at sea level; supercruise Mach 1.3+ at altitude with typicalair-to-air armament

Range: 1390 km (864 mi) Service ceiling: 18 000 m (60,000 ft) Rate of climb: 255 m/s (50,000 ft/min) Wing loading: 311 kg/m² (63.7 lb/ft²) Thrust/weight: 1.18

Armament

gun: 1x 27 mm Mauser BK-27 cannon air-to-air missiles: AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-132 ASRAAM, AIM-120

AMRAAM, IRIS-T and in the future MBDA Meteor air-to-ground missiles: AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-88 HARM,ALARMs, Storm

Shadow (AKA "Scalp EG"), Brimstone, Taurus, Penguin and in the future AGMArmiger

bombs: Paveway 2, Paveway 3, Enhanced Paveway, JDAM Laser designator, e.g. LITENING pod