Overview and Key Points: The Eurofighter Typhoon was a product of the Eurofighter Consortium, formed in 1986 by Germany, Italy, the UK and later Spain, and emerged as a superior air defense fighter designed to counter the latest Soviet fighters.
– With advanced features such as canard wings, digital fly-by-wire controls and extensive use of carbon fiber composites, the Typhoon showed off cutting edge technology. The Captor-M radar and EJ200 engines offered significant tactical advantages and its design also enhanced stealth capabilities.
– Since its first flight in 1994, over 570 Typhoons have been delivered to multiple countries, including Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and several other countries outside Europe.
How the Eurofighter Typhoon redefined air superiority
The idea of a joint European aircraft design was once little more than a pipe dream. Yet the joint European program that developed the Panavia Tornado proved that former adversaries could work together to develop a capable fighter jet.
The Eurofighter Typhoon was conceived to provide the continent's four air forces with an air defence fighter that was in every respect superior to the latest generation Soviet fighters then in service.
Eurofighter History
The Eurofighter consortium was formed in June 1986 and included the three nations involved in the development of the Panavia Tornado: Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Spain later joined the trio, and France was also an early partner in the European Fighter Association (EFA), though Paris later opted to pursue its own programme which led to the development of the Dassault Rafale.
Early work on the EFA project had indeed defined the fundamental concepts for the future Eurofighter Typhoon, including canard-wing foredecks, active digital fly-by-wire control, extensive use of carbon fibre composites and other advanced materials, a Hands-On Throttle and Stick (HOTAS) cockpit, advanced avionics, multi-function cockpit displays and direct voice command input.
Many of the technologies were tested using a full-scale demonstrator called the British Aeronautics and Space Agency's (BAe) Experimental Aircraft Programme (EAP). Seven prototypes were built, the first of which made its maiden flight in March 1994.
The aircraft was subsequently redesignated Eurofighter 2000 and further renamed Eurofighter Typhoon.
Interesting facts about the Eurofighter Typhoon
The wide field of view of the Captor-M mechanically scanned radar gave it a significant advantage in both air-to-air and air-to-ground engagements: the radar provided sufficient power and aperture for an extended angular range.
A multi-mode unit, the Captor-M could search for targets in range search (RWS), speed search (VS) and multiple target track-while-scan (TWS) modes. The lock-follow mode was a long-range and short-range track customized for use in visual identification and gunfire.
Additionally, the Captor-M's air combat acquisition modes allow pilots to select boresight, vertical scan HUD field of view, or slave acquisition. The jet fighter offers three advanced search modes: range with search, velocity search, and track with scan. Additionally, there is a set of lock-follow modes that provide short- and long-range tracking that can be used for visual and gunfire attacks.
Pilot workload is reduced through the use of advanced features such as direct voice input (DVI) and hands-on throttle and stick (HOTAS) control capabilities, allowing single pilot operation for even the most demanding missions. Navigation aids also include a state-of-the-art GPS with fully digital interface, satellite tracking channels and anti-jamming capabilities.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is notable for having just 15 percent of its surface area be metal, providing added stealth and protection against radar-based systems. Overall, over 75 percent of the aircraft was constructed from carbon fiber composites.
The twin-shaft EJ200 engine used a single-stage turbine with annular combustion in an evaporative burner driving a three-stage fan and a five-stage compressor, allowing supersonic cruise without afterburning.
The Typhoon was designed with a deliberately unstable aerodynamic configuration that gave it not only efficient supersonic capability but also excellent maneuverability at subsonic speeds.
As of October 2020, 572 Eurofighter Typhoons have been delivered. The aircraft remains in service with several air forces, including Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, and is also in service with Austria, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Currently, four of the surviving prototypes are on display in museums in Germany, Italy and the UK.
About the author: Defense expert Peter Susiu
Peter Susiu is a Michigan-based writer whose articles have appeared in over 40 magazines, newspapers, and websites. He writes regularly about military equipment and has written several books on military headgear, including “A Gallery of Military Headdress,” available on Amazon.com. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes.
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