Typhoon
IOC: 2006
Total Production: 707
Total Program's Cost: USD$60 billion
Unitary Cost: EUR€90 million
Also Known As
EF-2000
Eurofighter
Project Salam (Saudi Arabia Typhoon procurement program)
Typhoon F2 (RAF designation for Typhoon air defense aircraft)
Origin
Germany
Italy
Spain
United Kingdom
Contractor/s
Alenia Aeronautica
BAE Systems
EADS
Eurofighter GmbH *
Family Members
Typhoon T1
Air-to-Air Missiles:
AIM-120C AMRAAM (4)
AIM-132 ASRAAM (2)
IRIS-T (2)
Meteor (4)
Guided Missiles:
Brimstone
Storm Shadow (2)
Taurus KEPD 350 (2)
Bombs:
EGBU-12 Paveway II (6)
EGBU-27 Paveway III (6)
Paveway IV (6)
Power plant:
EJ200 (2)
Sensors & Communications:
CAESAR
CAPTOR
LITENING III
PIRATE
Striker
Guns & Missile Launchers:
BK 27
Protection Systems:
BOL
EuroDASS
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Description:
The Typhoon, formerly known as Eurofighter, is a twin-engine, delta-canard, multi-role fighter designed to perform a wide variety of missions. It will perform dogfight and beyond visual range air-to-air engagements, as well as air-to-ground/surface missions employing precision guided bombs and missiles. These missions will be carried out in all-weather conditions, day/night and in heavy countermeasures environments. The Typhoon has been designed to perform take off and landing operations on short runways (700 meters).
The Typhoon multi-role fighter will feature a high survivability thanks to EuroDASS integrated defensive system and low aircraft radar and infrared signatures. The Meteor long range air-to-air missile will help to achieve improved survivability increasing air-to-air engagement ranges and conferring first-shot capability against current non-stealth aircraft. This advanced missile will also improve air defense performance of the Typhoon multi-role fighter.
The CAPTOR pulse-Doppler radar and PIRATE Infrared sensor will provide multi-spectral situational awareness. The CAPTOR will provide air-to-air and air-to-surface modes and PIRATE will provide detection capability against stealth aircraft and missiles as well as Infrared search and track capability for dogfight engagements.
The Typhoon aircraft has 13 external load stations and an internally mounted 27mm BK 27 gun. Typically the Typhoon will carry two external fuel tanks and the remaining hard points will be used to load weaponry or pods. It will be capable of load a wide range of weaponry such as IRIS-T, ASRAAM, AIM-120, Meteor, Sidewinder, Taurus, Storm Shadow, Brimstone, HARM, Harpoon, Mavercik ALARM, ANF, and Armiger missiles and Paveway, JDAM, SDB, and AASM bombs.
The single-seat Typhoon multi-role fighter will be able to perform surveillance, air defense, deep strike, close air support, anti-ship, and reconnaissance missions. The United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain have plans to purchase up to 620 Typhoons, excluding options. Greece and Austria intend to purchase 60+30 and 24 Typhoons respectively. The new aircraft will replace Jaguar, Mirage F1, F-4, MiG-29, F-104, F-5, and Tornado aircraft in service in many European Air Forces beginning in 2003 through 2014.
As of December 2004, the first batch of Typhoon fighter aircraft was being executed with 34 of the 148 aircraft already delivered to the four-nation Air Forces and some 50 in the final assembly expected to be delivered soon. The second tranche, comprising 236 aircraft, was being negotiated between the four partner nations.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the second tranche of Eurofighter-Typhoon aircraft was signed between NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) and Eurofighter Jagdflugzeuge GmbH on December 17, 2004. The agreement worth €14 billion will deliver 236 multi-role standard Eurofighter aircraft featuring new software and state-of-the-art weaponry. Of the 236 aircraft to be manufactured under second batch United Kingdom will receive 89, Germany 68, Italy 46 and Spain 33. In Addition, the first export customer, Austria, will receive 18 tranche 2 Eurofighters with multi-role air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities. Deliveries will occur from 2008 onwards.
EADS announced on 14-Feb-2005 that the first single-seater Eurofighter intended for air defense missions was officially handed over to the German Air Force. The single-seater aircraft features direct voice input technology to reduce the pilot workload. The Spanish Air Force received the first single-seater Eurofighter in December 2004. The Italian Air Force took delivery of single-seater aircraft in January 2005. As of February 2005, 30 Eurofighter in both configurations single and twin-seater aircraft had been delivered to the four partner nations: Germany, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom.
EADS Military Aircraft handed over the first full operational single-seat Eurofighter/Typhoon to German Air Force, Luftwaffe, Fighter Wing 73 (JG 73) 'Steinhoff' in Laage near Rostock on Friday, April 8, 2005. This first aircraft was fitted for a wide range of air defense missions and was the 35th aircraft delivered under Eurofighter's Tranche 1 contract.
On 31 March 2006 the RAF announced the formation of the 3(F) Squadron equipped with Typhoon multi-mission aircraft near coinciding with the anniversary of the RAF formation on 1 April 1918. The first Typhoon-equipped squadron is based at RAF Conningsby in Lincolnshire.
Specifications
Accommodation: Crew 1
Guns: Main Gun Caliber 27 mm
Dimensions: Height 5.3 m, Length 16.0 m, Wingspan 11.0 m
Weights: Max Weight 23,000 kg (50,705 lb), Min Weight 9,999 kg (22,044 lb)
Engine/s Performance: Thrust 40,500 lb (18,371 kg)
Performance: Cruise Speed Mach 1.10 (1,315 kph), Max Range 2,778 km (1,500 nm), Top Speed Mach 2 (2,390 kph)
Other: Number of Engines 2
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Austria / 15 
Germany / 180 
Greece / 90 / 
Italy / 121 
Saudi Arabia / 72 
Spain / 87 
The procurement of 87 Eurofighters by the Spanish Air Force was valued at 7.86 billion Euro
United Kingdom / 232 