The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard–delta wing, multirole fighter.[5][6] The Typhoon was designed originally as an air superiority fighter[7] and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo that conducts the majority of the project through a joint holding company, Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH. NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency manages the project and is the prime customer.[8]
Eurofighter Typhoon
An RAF Typhoon F2 flying through the Mach Loop
Role
Multirole fighter
National origin
Multi-national
Manufacturer
Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH
First flight
27 March 1994[1]
Introduction
4 August 2003
Status
In service
Primary users
Royal Air Force
German Air Force
Italian Air Force
Spanish Air Force
See Operators below for others
Produced
1994–present
Number built
570[2]
Unit cost
€90 million (system cost Tranche 3A)[3]
£125 million (including development + production costs) [4]
Developed from
British Aerospace EAP
Variants
Eurofighter Typhoon variants
The aircraft's development effectively began in 1983 with the Future European Fighter Aircraft programme, a multinational collaboration among the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Disagreements over design authority and operational requirements led France to leave the consortium to develop the Dassault Rafale independently. A technology demonstration aircraft, the British Aerospace EAP, first flew on 6 August 1986; the first prototype of the finalised Eurofighter made its first flight on 27 March 1994. The aircraft's name, Typhoon, was adopted in September 1998 and the first production contracts were also signed that year.
The sudden end of the Cold War reduced European demand for fighter aircraft and led to debate over the aircraft's cost and work share and protracted the Typhoon's development: the Typhoon entered operational service in 2003 and is now in service with the air forces of Austria, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Saudi Arabia and Oman. Kuwait and Qatar have also ordered the aircraft, bringing the procurement total to 623 aircraft as of 2019.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a highly agile aircraft, designed to be a supremely effective dogfighter in combat.[9] Later production aircraft have been increasingly better equipped to undertake air-to-surface strike missions and to be compatible with an increasing number of different armaments and equipment, including Storm Shadow and Brimstone missiles. The Typhoon had its combat debut during the 2011 military intervention in Libya with the UK's Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Italian Air Force, performing aerial reconnaissance and ground-strike missions. The type has also taken primary responsibility for air-defence duties for the majority of customer nations.
Development Edit
Origins Edit
Further information: British Aerospace EAP
Official Eurofighter logo
The UK had identified a requirement for a new fighter as early as 1971. The Air Staff Target (AST) 403 specification in 1972 led to the P.96 conventional "tailed" design presented in the late 1970s. While the design would have met the Air Staff's requirements, the UK air industry had reservations, as it appeared to be very similar to the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, which was then well advanced in its development. The P.96 design had little potential for growth, and when it entered production, it would secure few exports in a market in which the Hornet would be well established.[10] However, the simultaneous West German requirement for a new fighter had led by 1979 to the development of the TKF-90 concept.[11][12] This was a cranked delta wing design with forward close-coupled-canard controls and artificial stability. Although the British Aerospace designers rejected some of its advanced features such as engine vectoring nozzles and vented trailing edge controls, a form of boundary layer control, they agreed with the overall configuration.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a highly agile aircraft, designed to be a supremely effective dogfighter in combat.[9] Later production aircraft have been increasingly better equipped to undertake air-to-surface strike missions and to be compatible with an increasing number of different armaments and equipment, including Storm Shadow and Brimstone missiles. The Typhoon had its combat debut during the 2011 military intervention in Libya with the UK's Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Italian Air Force, performing aerial reconnaissance and ground-strike missions. The type has also taken primary responsibility for air-defence duties for the majority of customer nations.