RAF Typhoon F2
Encyclopedia
The Eurofighter Typhoon
is in service with five nations: United Kingdom
, Germany
, Italy
, Spain
and Austria
. The aircraft has also been ordered by Saudi Arabia
, with the first aircraft already delivered. The aircraft has so far been provided in a basic form and most of the major systems including the CAPTOR radar
and the Defence Aids Sub-System
(DASS) are expected to be improved and updated over time. However BAE states that even these early aircraft will be much more capable than the Tornado F3 and that the development of the Typhoon will exceed the learning curve of pilots.
DA1
DA1's main role was handling characteristics and engine performance.
DA1 was assembled in 1992 and first flew on 27 March 1994 with Luftwaffe serial 98+29. The military evaluation phase commenced in 1996. In 1997 after 123 flights, DA1's RB199 engines were replaced by EJ200s, it also was refitted with the Martin Baker
Mk.16A ejector seat
and a full avionics fit. Following these modifications it rejoined the flight test programme in 1999. Following the loss of DA6, DA1 was transferred to Spain to undertake the remaining development work including IRIS-T
trials.
The aircraft was retired on 21 December 2005, eleven years, eight months, and 24 days after its first flight.
It is on display at the Flugwerft Schleißheim (external site of the Deutsches Museum
) near Munich, Germany.
DA2
DA2 undertook envelope expansion, flight control assessment and load trials. The aircraft first flew on 6 April 1994 as ZH588. The flight control assessment included development of the Eurofighter's "carefree handling". On 23 December 1997 DA2 became the first Eurofighter to achieve Mach 2 and in January 1998 undertook refuelling trials with a RAF VC10. Like DA1, DA2 was upgraded in 1998 with new engines, ejector seat and avionics and rejoined the test programme in August. In 2000 the aircraft was covered with 490 pressure transducers; due to the fact that they were covered by black pads and had associated wiring the aircraft was painted in a gloss black scheme. The pressure transducers measured the effects of various weapons loads and external fuel tanks. In 2002 the aircraft undertook ASRAAM trials, completed carefree handling trials and commenced DASS decoy trials.
Now retired and on display in the Milestones of Flight Gallery at the RAF Museum
at Hendon
.
DA3
Weapons systems development
DA4
Radar and avionics development, now on display at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.
DA5
Radar and avionics development, being upgraded to Tranche 2 standard
DA6
Airframe development and handling. DA6 was lost in a crash in Spain in November 2002 after both engines failed. EADS Germany's DA1 was transferred to EADS-CASA.
DA7
Navigation, avionics and missile carriage
instruments for dedicated flight testing and further systems development.
Block 1: Initial Operational Capability, Basic Air Defence Capability
Block 2: Air-to-air capabilities
Block 5: Air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities, Final Operational Capability (FOC) standard. All Tranche 1 aircraft are being upgraded to Block 5 capability through the R2 retrofit programme.
Block 8: New hardware standard with new mission computer
Block 10: EOC 1, improved DASS
, IFF
Mode 5, Rangeless ACMI
Block 15: EOC 2,
Block 20: EOC 3
(Aeronautica Militare Italiana) had one EF-2000 wing, 4° Stormo (41st Wing), which received its first aircraft on 19 February 2004. The 36° Stormo has received its first Typhoon on 1 October 2007.
(Ejército del Aire) has one squadron of aircraft. The first aircraft was delivered to Wing 11 in October 2003 at Moron airbase, Spain. In Spanish service, the aircraft is designated the C.16 Typhoon.
and Jagdgeschwader 74
. JG 73 began converting to the Eurofighter in April 2004. JG 74 received its first aircraft on 25 June 2006.
(ground attack) forces. They will equip five front-line squadron
s, one front-line flight and two reserve squadrons, the Operational Conversion Unit
(OCU) and the Operational Evaluation Unit (OEU). These units will operate 82 Typhoons with the remaining 78 kept in reserve as attrition replacements and to share flight hours across the fleet.
The first Typhoon T1 is one of the Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA1) and remains part of the BAE fleet. The aircraft's maiden flight was on April 15, 2002. The official in service date for the first RAF Typhoon T1, serial ZJ803, was June 30, 2003. Formal delivery occurred on December 18 at which point 17 Sqn began a full flying programme.
The first squadrons, No. 17 OEU and No. 29
OCU
Sqns, moved to RAF Coningsby
in 2005 to begin establishing an initial operational capability (IOC).
Typhoon T1A is a Tranche 1, batch 2 two-seat trainer. There would not normally be a different designation for a different aircraft batch, however the Batch 2 aircraft have a fuel system modification to fix a fuel gauge problem identified in the development aircraft fleet.
The first operational squadron, No. 3
, formed at RAF Cottesmore
on March 31, 2006 and moved to its new base RAF Coningsby
the following day. No. 11 squadron, the second operational squadron received its first aircraft (ZJ931) on October 9, 2006.
The UK agreed to approve production of "Tranche 2" in December 2004, this tranche will see the RAF receive a further 89 aircraft, bringing its Typhoon inventory to 144. This followed protracted negotiations regarding the early introduction of ground attack capabilities of the aircraft and hence its swing-role capability. While this was always planned it was intended to come at a much later date.
In 2001, it was announced that the Royal Air Force
(RAF) would not use the aircraft's internal 27 mm Mauser cannon. This was due to a desire to save money by removing gun support costs, ammunition stocks, training costs, etc. The gun was also deemed unnecessary since the missile armament was believed to be adequate in the Typhoon's fighter role. However, because removal of the cannon would affect the aircraft's flight characteristics, requiring modification of the aircraft's flight software the RAF decided that all of its Typhoons would be fitted with the cannon but that it would not be used or supported. The service argued that this would save money by reducing the requirement for ground equipment, removing training costs and avoiding the fatigue effects of firing the cannon. The RAF maintained the option to activate the cannons at very short notice were operational requirements to change. However in a third change of policy, the Daily Telegraph reported on 3 October 2006 that the RAF will fully utilise the cannon.
Typhoon T3s.
represents the increased capabilities of the Block 5 aircraft (fighter/ground attack/reconnaissance). The FGR4 has from June 2008 achieved the required standard for multi-role operations.
Eurofighter for its new aircraft carriers, in favour of the STOVL
('B') variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which (at that time) promised to be a capable, low cost and more stealthy aircraft that would enter into service circa 2012 – a date that tied in well with the in-service date for the new UK aircraft Carriers as it stood at that time. It was rejected by the United Kingdom on "cost effectiveness grounds".
The UK's October 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review
("SDSR") announced that due to timescale, cost and performance issues with the STOVL variant of F-35 (F-35B), the UK would proceed with the CATOBAR
F-35C variant instead. This will require the UK's Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers (which are already in build) to be retrofitted with electromagnetic aircraft launch catapults. This, combined with the escalating costs and timescales of the F-35 programme, has led to renewed calls for the UK to cancel its involvement in the F-35 programme, and "navalise" the final Eurofighter production tranche (which it is already committed to buy) for operation from the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers. Despite this, , the navalised Eurofighter remains only a proposal; but there has been some interest expressed by other nations, such as India, in adapting Eurofighter for aircraft carrier operations.
The proposed variant design would enable the Eurofighter to operate from carriers on a Short Take-Off but Arrested Recovery (STOBAR
) basis, using a 'ski jump' ramp for aircraft launch and arresting gear
for conventional landing.
In February 2011, BAE debuted a navalised Typhoon in response to the Indian tender. The model offered is STOBAR (Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery) capable, corresponding to the Indian Navy's future Vikrant class aircraft carrier. The changes needed to enable the Typhoon to launch by ski-jump and recover by arrestor hook added about 500 kg to the airframe. If however the Indian Navy pursues a catapult launch carrier, the Typhoon is uncompetitive against tender rivals (e.g. Rafale and Super Hornet) since meeting "... catapult requirements would add too much weight to the aircraft, blunt performance and add substantially to modification costs".
Eurofighter Typhoon
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole combat aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of three companies: EADS, Alenia Aeronautica and BAE Systems; working through a holding company, Eurofighter GmbH, which was formed in 1986...
is in service with five nations: United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. The aircraft has also been ordered by Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, with the first aircraft already delivered. The aircraft has so far been provided in a basic form and most of the major systems including the CAPTOR radar
Euroradar CAPTOR
The Euroradar CAPTOR is a next generation mechanical multi-mode pulse doppler radar designed for the Eurofighter Typhoon.The radar is produced by the Euroradar consortium and is a development of the BAE Systems Blue Vixen radar which had been developed for the BAE Sea Harrier...
and the Defence Aids Sub-System
Defensive Aids System
A defensive aids system is a military aircraft system which defends it from attack by surface-to-air missiles, air-to-air missiles and guided anti-aircraft artillery. A DAS typically comprises chaff, flares, and electronic countermeasures combined with radar warning receivers to detect threats...
(DASS) are expected to be improved and updated over time. However BAE states that even these early aircraft will be much more capable than the Tornado F3 and that the development of the Typhoon will exceed the learning curve of pilots.
Development aircraft
Seven development aircraft (DA) were built with varying equipment fits and flight test roles.DA1
DA1's main role was handling characteristics and engine performance.
DA1 was assembled in 1992 and first flew on 27 March 1994 with Luftwaffe serial 98+29. The military evaluation phase commenced in 1996. In 1997 after 123 flights, DA1's RB199 engines were replaced by EJ200s, it also was refitted with the Martin Baker
Martin Baker
Martin Baker may refer to:*Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. Ltd*Martin Baker , Scottish footballer*Martin Baker...
Mk.16A ejector seat
Ejector seat
In aircraft, an ejection seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an explosive charge or rocket motor, carrying the pilot with it. The concept of an eject-able escape capsule has also...
and a full avionics fit. Following these modifications it rejoined the flight test programme in 1999. Following the loss of DA6, DA1 was transferred to Spain to undertake the remaining development work including IRIS-T
IRIS-T
The IRIS-T is a German-led program to develop a short-range air-to-air missile to replace the venerable AIM-9 Sidewinder found in some of the NATO member countries...
trials.
The aircraft was retired on 21 December 2005, eleven years, eight months, and 24 days after its first flight.
It is on display at the Flugwerft Schleißheim (external site of the Deutsches Museum
Deutsches Museum
The Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany, is the world's largest museum of technology and science, with approximately 1.5 million visitors per year and about 28,000 exhibited objects from 50 fields of science and technology. The museum was founded on June 28, 1903, at a meeting of the Association...
) near Munich, Germany.
DA2
DA2 undertook envelope expansion, flight control assessment and load trials. The aircraft first flew on 6 April 1994 as ZH588. The flight control assessment included development of the Eurofighter's "carefree handling". On 23 December 1997 DA2 became the first Eurofighter to achieve Mach 2 and in January 1998 undertook refuelling trials with a RAF VC10. Like DA1, DA2 was upgraded in 1998 with new engines, ejector seat and avionics and rejoined the test programme in August. In 2000 the aircraft was covered with 490 pressure transducers; due to the fact that they were covered by black pads and had associated wiring the aircraft was painted in a gloss black scheme. The pressure transducers measured the effects of various weapons loads and external fuel tanks. In 2002 the aircraft undertook ASRAAM trials, completed carefree handling trials and commenced DASS decoy trials.
Now retired and on display in the Milestones of Flight Gallery at the RAF Museum
RAF Museum
The Royal Air Force Museum London, commonly known as the RAF Museum, is a museum located on the former Hendon Aerodrome, dedicated to the history of aviation and the British Royal Air Force. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and a registered charity...
at Hendon
Hendon Aerodrome
Hendon Aerodrome was an aerodrome in Hendon, north London, England that, between 1908 and 1968, was an important centre for aviation.It was situated in Colindale, seven miles north west of Charing Cross. It nearly became "the Charing Cross of the UK's international air routes", but for the...
.
DA3
Weapons systems development
DA4
Radar and avionics development, now on display at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.
DA5
Radar and avionics development, being upgraded to Tranche 2 standard
DA6
Airframe development and handling. DA6 was lost in a crash in Spain in November 2002 after both engines failed. EADS Germany's DA1 was transferred to EADS-CASA.
DA7
Navigation, avionics and missile carriage
Instrumented production aircraft
The instrumented production aircraft (IPA) are five production standard aircraft fitted with telemetryTelemetry
Telemetry is a technology that allows measurements to be made at a distance, usually via radio wave transmission and reception of the information. The word is derived from Greek roots: tele = remote, and metron = measure...
instruments for dedicated flight testing and further systems development.
- IPA1 (UK) – Defensive Aids Sub SystemDefensive Aids SystemA defensive aids system is a military aircraft system which defends it from attack by surface-to-air missiles, air-to-air missiles and guided anti-aircraft artillery. A DAS typically comprises chaff, flares, and electronic countermeasures combined with radar warning receivers to detect threats...
(DASS) - IPA2 (Italy) – Air-to-surface weapons integration
- IPA3 (Germany) – Air-to-air weapons integration
- IPA4 (Spain) – Air-to-surface weapons integration and environmental development
- IPA5 (UK) – Air-to-surface and air-to-air weapons integration
- IPA6 (UK) – Converted Series Production Aircraft (BS031) – Tranche 2 Computer Systems.
- IPA7 (Germany) – Converted Series Production Aircraft (GS029) – Full Tranche 2 Standard.
Series production aircraft
These are the operational and training aircraft. The Eurofighter is known as Typhoon in the United Kingdom and export markets and as EF-2000 in Germany, Italy and Spain. However all Italian aircraft carry the "Typhoon" logo on their tails.Tranche 1
The Tranche 1 aircraft were produced from 2003 onwards and featured the Typhoon's initial capabilities.Block 1: Initial Operational Capability, Basic Air Defence Capability
Block 2: Air-to-air capabilities
Block 5: Air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities, Final Operational Capability (FOC) standard. All Tranche 1 aircraft are being upgraded to Block 5 capability through the R2 retrofit programme.
Tranche 2
The Tranche 2 aircraft are producedBlock 8: New hardware standard with new mission computer
Block 10: EOC 1, improved DASS
Defensive Aids System
A defensive aids system is a military aircraft system which defends it from attack by surface-to-air missiles, air-to-air missiles and guided anti-aircraft artillery. A DAS typically comprises chaff, flares, and electronic countermeasures combined with radar warning receivers to detect threats...
, IFF
Identification friend or foe
In telecommunications, identification, friend or foe is an identification system designed for command and control. It is a system that enables military and national interrogation systems to identify aircraft, vehicles, or forces as friendly and to determine their bearing and range from the...
Mode 5, Rangeless ACMI
Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation
Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation systems record an aircraft's in-flight data.They are often used by the military for aerial combat training and analysis.ACMI systems usually include 4 major subsystems.- Subsystems :Control and Computation...
- Air/Air: AIM-120C-5 AMRAAM, IRIS-TIRIS-TThe IRIS-T is a German-led program to develop a short-range air-to-air missile to replace the venerable AIM-9 Sidewinder found in some of the NATO member countries...
digital - Air/Ground: GBU-24, GPS-guided weapons, ALARMALARMALARM is a British anti-radiation missile designed primarily to destroy enemy radars for the purpose of Suppression of Enemy Air Defense...
, PavewayPavewayPaveway is a generic term for Laser Guided Bombs .Pave or PAVE is sometimes used as an acronym for precision avionics vectoring equipment; literally, electronics for controlling the speed and direction of aircraft...
III & IV, Rafael LITENING III
Block 15: EOC 2,
- Air/Air: METEORMBDA MeteorMeteor is an active radar guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile being developed by MBDA. It is to equip the Eurofighter Typhoons of the UK's Royal Air Force , Germany's Luftwaffe, Spain's Ejército del Aire and Italy's Aeronautica Militare Italiana, the British and Italian F-35s , the...
, - Air/Ground: TAURUSTaurus missileTAURUS KEPD 350 is a German/Swedish air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by TAURUS Systems and used by Germany and Spain. TAURUS Systems GmbH is a partnership between LFK and Saab Bofors Dynamics.-Overview:...
, Storm ShadowStorm ShadowStorm Shadow is a British, French and Italian air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by MBDA. Storm Shadow is the British name for the weapon; in French service it is called SCALP EG...
, BrimstoneBrimstone missileBrimstone is an air-launched anti-tank missile developed by MBDA for Britain's Royal Air Force. It was originally intended for "fire and forget" use against mass formations of enemy armour, using a millimetre wave seeker to ensure accuracy even against moving targets...
Block 20: EOC 3
Italian Air Force aircraft
As of July 2006 the Italian Air ForceItalian Air Force
The Italian Air Force has gone under different names in different periods:*Regia Aeronautica , from 1923 to June 1946*Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, the air force of Italian Social Republic during World War II...
(Aeronautica Militare Italiana) had one EF-2000 wing, 4° Stormo (41st Wing), which received its first aircraft on 19 February 2004. The 36° Stormo has received its first Typhoon on 1 October 2007.
Spanish Air Force aircraft
As of December 2006 the Spanish Air ForceSpanish Air Force
-The early stages:Hot air balloons had been used with military purposes in Spain as far back as 1896. In 1905, with the help of Alfredo Kindelán, Leonardo Torres y Quevedo directed the construction of the first Spanish dirigible in the Army Military Aerostatics Service, created in 1896 and located...
(Ejército del Aire) has one squadron of aircraft. The first aircraft was delivered to Wing 11 in October 2003 at Moron airbase, Spain. In Spanish service, the aircraft is designated the C.16 Typhoon.
Luftwaffe aircraft
As of October 2006 Germany had two active EF-2000 fighter wings, Jagdgeschwader 73Jagdgeschwader 73
Jagdgeschwader 73 "Steinhoff" is a fighter wing of the German Luftwaffe. The wing is based in north-eastern Germany at Rostock-Laage Airport near Rostock...
and Jagdgeschwader 74
Jagdgeschwader 74
Jagdgeschwader 74 is an aviation unit of the German Luftwaffe, based on Neuburg air base in Bavaria since 1961.JG 74 provides air defence duties for southern Germany. The wing operates two squadrons, the Falken squadron and the Viva Zapata squadron.-History:JG 74 was activated as the last West...
. JG 73 began converting to the Eurofighter in April 2004. JG 74 received its first aircraft on 25 June 2006.
Royal Air Force aircraft
The Typhoon replaced the RAF's Tornado F3 (fighter) and JaguarSEPECAT Jaguar
The SEPECAT Jaguar is an Anglo-French jet ground attack aircraft, originally used by the British Royal Air Force and the French Armée de l'Air in the close air support and nuclear strike role, and still in service with several export customers, notably the Indian Air Force and the Royal Air Force...
(ground attack) forces. They will equip five front-line squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
s, one front-line flight and two reserve squadrons, the Operational Conversion Unit
Operational Conversion Unit
An Operational Conversion Unit is a unit within an air force whose role is to support preparation for the operational missions of a specific aircraft type by providing trained personnel. OCUs teach pilots how to fly an aircraft and which tactics best exploit the performance of their aircraft and...
(OCU) and the Operational Evaluation Unit (OEU). These units will operate 82 Typhoons with the remaining 78 kept in reserve as attrition replacements and to share flight hours across the fleet.
Typhoon T1 and T1A
The Typhoon T1 is a Tranche 1, batch 1 two-seat trainer.The first Typhoon T1 is one of the Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA1) and remains part of the BAE fleet. The aircraft's maiden flight was on April 15, 2002. The official in service date for the first RAF Typhoon T1, serial ZJ803, was June 30, 2003. Formal delivery occurred on December 18 at which point 17 Sqn began a full flying programme.
The first squadrons, No. 17 OEU and No. 29
No. 29 Squadron RAF
No. 29 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was first raised in 1915, and is one of the world's oldest fighter squadrons. The second British squadron to receive the Eurofighter Typhoon, it is currently the Operational Conversion Unit for the RAF's newest fighter.-Service in World War I:This unit was...
OCU
Operational Conversion Unit
An Operational Conversion Unit is a unit within an air force whose role is to support preparation for the operational missions of a specific aircraft type by providing trained personnel. OCUs teach pilots how to fly an aircraft and which tactics best exploit the performance of their aircraft and...
Sqns, moved to RAF Coningsby
RAF Coningsby
RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England. It has been commanded by Group Captain Martin Sampson since 10 December 2010.-Operational units:...
in 2005 to begin establishing an initial operational capability (IOC).
Typhoon T1A is a Tranche 1, batch 2 two-seat trainer. There would not normally be a different designation for a different aircraft batch, however the Batch 2 aircraft have a fuel system modification to fix a fuel gauge problem identified in the development aircraft fleet.
Typhoon F2
The F2 is the single seat fighter variant. The first F2 is IPA5 and also remains with BAE, its first flight was June 6, 2002.The first operational squadron, No. 3
No. 3 Squadron RAF
No 3 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Typhoon F2, FGR4 and T3 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire.No 3 Squadron, which celebrated its 95th anniversary over the weekend of 11-13 May 2007, is unique in the RAF for having two official crests....
, formed at RAF Cottesmore
RAF Cottesmore
RAF Cottesmore was a Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England, situated between Cottesmore and Market Overton. The station housed all the operational Harrier GR9 squadrons in the Royal Air Force, and No 122 Expeditionary Air Wing...
on March 31, 2006 and moved to its new base RAF Coningsby
RAF Coningsby
RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England. It has been commanded by Group Captain Martin Sampson since 10 December 2010.-Operational units:...
the following day. No. 11 squadron, the second operational squadron received its first aircraft (ZJ931) on October 9, 2006.
The UK agreed to approve production of "Tranche 2" in December 2004, this tranche will see the RAF receive a further 89 aircraft, bringing its Typhoon inventory to 144. This followed protracted negotiations regarding the early introduction of ground attack capabilities of the aircraft and hence its swing-role capability. While this was always planned it was intended to come at a much later date.
In 2001, it was announced that the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) would not use the aircraft's internal 27 mm Mauser cannon. This was due to a desire to save money by removing gun support costs, ammunition stocks, training costs, etc. The gun was also deemed unnecessary since the missile armament was believed to be adequate in the Typhoon's fighter role. However, because removal of the cannon would affect the aircraft's flight characteristics, requiring modification of the aircraft's flight software the RAF decided that all of its Typhoons would be fitted with the cannon but that it would not be used or supported. The service argued that this would save money by reducing the requirement for ground equipment, removing training costs and avoiding the fatigue effects of firing the cannon. The RAF maintained the option to activate the cannons at very short notice were operational requirements to change. However in a third change of policy, the Daily Telegraph reported on 3 October 2006 that the RAF will fully utilise the cannon.
Typhoon T3
Two-seat Block 5 or later aircraft (built or upgraded from T1) are known asBritish military aircraft designation systems
British military aircraft designations are used to refer to aircraft types and variants operated by the armed forces of the United Kingdom.Since the end of the First World War, aircraft types in British military service have generally been known by a name British military aircraft designations are...
Typhoon T3s.
Typhoon FGR4
Single-seat Block 5 or later aircraft (built or upgraded from F2) are known as Typhoon FGR4s. The new mark numberBritish military aircraft designation systems
British military aircraft designations are used to refer to aircraft types and variants operated by the armed forces of the United Kingdom.Since the end of the First World War, aircraft types in British military service have generally been known by a name British military aircraft designations are...
represents the increased capabilities of the Block 5 aircraft (fighter/ground attack/reconnaissance). The FGR4 has from June 2008 achieved the required standard for multi-role operations.
Navalised Eurofighter
Originally proposed in the late 1990s as a potential solution to the UK Royal Navy's need for a Future Carrier-Borne Aircraft (FCBA) for its new ('Queen Elizabeth' class) aircraft carriers, In January 2001, the UK Ministry of Defence formally discounted the option of a NavalisedNavalised
A navalised aircraft is an aircraft that has been specifically designed for naval use, in some cases as a variant of a land-based design.-Characteristics:...
Eurofighter for its new aircraft carriers, in favour of the STOVL
STOVL
STOVL is an acronym for short take off and vertical landing.This is the ability of some aircraft to take off from a short runway or take off vertically if it does not have a very heavy payload and land vertically...
('B') variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which (at that time) promised to be a capable, low cost and more stealthy aircraft that would enter into service circa 2012 – a date that tied in well with the in-service date for the new UK aircraft Carriers as it stood at that time. It was rejected by the United Kingdom on "cost effectiveness grounds".
The UK's October 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review
Strategic Defence and Security Review
The Strategic Defence and Security Review was announced by the newly formed Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government of the United Kingdom in May 2010, and published on 19 October 2010...
("SDSR") announced that due to timescale, cost and performance issues with the STOVL variant of F-35 (F-35B), the UK would proceed with the CATOBAR
CATOBAR
CATOBAR is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier...
F-35C variant instead. This will require the UK's Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers (which are already in build) to be retrofitted with electromagnetic aircraft launch catapults. This, combined with the escalating costs and timescales of the F-35 programme, has led to renewed calls for the UK to cancel its involvement in the F-35 programme, and "navalise" the final Eurofighter production tranche (which it is already committed to buy) for operation from the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers. Despite this, , the navalised Eurofighter remains only a proposal; but there has been some interest expressed by other nations, such as India, in adapting Eurofighter for aircraft carrier operations.
The proposed variant design would enable the Eurofighter to operate from carriers on a Short Take-Off but Arrested Recovery (STOBAR
STOBAR
STOBAR is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier, combining elements of both STOVL and CATOBAR .Aircraft launch under their own power using a ski-jump to assist take-off STOBAR (Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery) is a system used for the...
) basis, using a 'ski jump' ramp for aircraft launch and arresting gear
Arresting gear
Arresting gear, or arrestor gear, is the name used for mechanical systems designed to rapidly decelerate an aircraft as it lands. Arresting gear on aircraft carriers is an essential component of naval aviation, and it is most commonly used on CATOBAR and STOBAR aircraft carriers. Similar systems...
for conventional landing.
In February 2011, BAE debuted a navalised Typhoon in response to the Indian tender. The model offered is STOBAR (Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery) capable, corresponding to the Indian Navy's future Vikrant class aircraft carrier. The changes needed to enable the Typhoon to launch by ski-jump and recover by arrestor hook added about 500 kg to the airframe. If however the Indian Navy pursues a catapult launch carrier, the Typhoon is uncompetitive against tender rivals (e.g. Rafale and Super Hornet) since meeting "... catapult requirements would add too much weight to the aircraft, blunt performance and add substantially to modification costs".