Eurofighter Typhoon is the world’s most advanced swing-role combat aircraft providing
simultaneously deployable Air-to-Air and Air-to-Surface capabilities.
The four-nation Eurofighter Typhoon is a foreplane delta-wing, beyond-visual-range, close air
fighter aircraft with surface attack capability.
Eurofighter has 'supercruise' capability: it can fly at sustained speeds of over Mach
1 without the use of afterburner.
Development of the aircraft has been carried out by Eurofighter GmbH, based in Munich and
wholly owned by BAE Systems of the UK, Alenia Aeronautica of Italy and the EADS Deutschland
and EADS Spain.
In January 2003, Norway signed an agreement for industrial participation in the project,
but has not committed to purchase of the fighter.
The aircraft will remain in service until 2040.
Eurofighter Typhoon design: The aircraft is constructed of carbon-fibre
composites, glass-reinforced plastic, aluminium lithium, titanium and aluminium casting.
Stealth technology features include low frontal radar cross-section, passive sensors and supercruise
ability.
Cockpit: The pilot's control system is a voice throttle
and stick system.
The stick and throttle tops house 24 fingertip controls for sensor and weapon control, defence
aids management, and inflight handling.
The direct voice input allows the pilot to carry out mode selection and data entry procedures
using voice command.
The quadruplex fly-by-wire flight control system has an automatic low-speed recovery
system which provides the pilot with visual and audio low speed warning and will, if necessary,
automatically take control of the aircraft and return to safe flight.
Weapons: The internally mounted Mauser BK27mm gun is
a revolver gun system with a linkless-closed ammunition feed system.
The Eurofighter Typhoon has 13 hard points for weapon carriage, four under each wing
and five under the fuselage.
An armament control system manages weapons selection and firing and monitors weapon status.
Depending on role, the fighter can carry the following mix of missiles:
Air-superiority - six BVRAAM (beyond visual range) / AMRAAM air-to-air missiles on semi-recessed
fuselage stations and two ASRAAM short-range air-to-air missiles on the outer pylons
Air interdiction - four AMRAAM, two ASRAAM, two cruise missiles and two anti-radar missiles
Suppression of enemy air defences - four AMRAAM, two ASRAAM, six anti-radar missiles
Multirole - three AMRAAM, two ASRAAM, two ARM and two GBU-24 Paveway III/IV
Close air support - four AMRAAM, two ASRAAM, 18 Brimstone anti-armour missiles
Maritime attack - four AMRAAM, two ASRAAM, six anti-ship missiles
The UK RAF has selected MBDA Meteor for the BVRAAM requirement and Raytheon AMRAAM until
Meteor enters service.
Meteor uses a new air-breathing ramjet motor for increased range and manoeuvrability.
Meteor will be fitted from around 2013.
German, Italian and Spanish Eurofighters carry the imaging infrared IRIS-T air-to-air missile
developed by Diehl BGT Defence of Germany.
Deliveries began in December 2005.
German and Spanish aircraft are also armed with the Taurus KEPD 350 stand-off missile
from EADS/LFK and Saab Bofors Dynamics, which has a range over 350km.
UK RAF Eurofighters carry the MBDA Storm Shadow / Scalp EG stand-off cruise missile, which
entered operational service on Tornado aircraft in March 2003, and the MBDA Brimstone anti-armour
missile, which entered service with initial operational capability on the RAF Tornado
GR.Mk4 aircraft in March 2005.
Italian aircraft are also armed with Storm Shadow.
Countermeasures:
The aircraft's defensive aids sub-system is accommodated within the aircraft structure
and integrated with the avionics system.
DASS provides an all-round prioritised assessment of threats with fully automatic response to
single or multiple threats.
DASS includes an electronic countermeasures / support measures system, front and rear
missile approach warners, supersonically capable towed decoy systems, laser warning receivers
and SaabTech Electronics BOL chaff and flare dispensing system.
The avionics system is based on a Nato standard databus with fibre optic highways.
Engine:
The Eurofighter is equipped with two Eurojet EJ200 engines, each delivering thrust of 90
kilonewton in full reheat and 60 kilonewton in dry power mode.
Single-stage turbines drive the three-stage fan and five-stage HP compressor.
The EJ200 engine has been developed by Eurojet, in Munich.
The engine features: digital control; wide chord aerofoils and single crystal turbine
blades; a convergent / divergent exhaust nozzle; and integrated health monitoring.
Number built: 500 (as of April 2017)
Unit cost: $100 million (system cost Tranche 3A)
$163 million (including development + production costs)