The British government committed to funding development of an advanced aircraft and together with funding from commercial partners this gave rise to the BAe Experimental Aircraft Programme resulting in a single aircraft which first flew in August, 1986, and the Eurofighter bears a strong resemblence to the EAP.
Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm chief test pilot Peter Weger took the prototype on a test flight around Bavaria. The 1990s saw significant arguments over work share, the specification of the aircraft and even participation in the project.
The full, "fly-away" price of a single Typhoon works out to €62,900,000.
프로젝트는 여러번 새 이름이 붙여졌다. EFA (European Fighter Aircraft), Eurofighter, EF2000 (Eurofighter 2000), 그리고 가장 최근에는 Typhoon.
유로파이터 타이푼은 최신 전투기 중 유일하게 네 개의 별도 조립라인에서 제작된다. (F-16만이 오직 국제적으로 라이센스 생산되었다.) 각각의 파트너 회사는 자신의 나라 전투기를 조립한다. 그러나 620대 모두 동일한 부품을 사용한다.
Alenia
Left wing
Outboard flaperons
Rear fuselage sections
BAE SYSTEMS
Front fuselage (including canards)
Canopy
Dorsal spine
Tail fin
Inboard flaperons
Rear fuselage section
EADS Germany
Main centre fuselage
EADS CASA
Right wing
Leading edge slats
Production is divided into three "tranches" (see table below) with an incremental increase in capability with each tranche. Tranches are further divided up into batches, for example of the RAF's Tranche one twin seaters T1s are batch 1 and T1As are batch 2.
Despite many delays and controversies over cost, the Typhoon is now in series production.
In British service, the aircraft is supposed to replace the TornadoF3 interceptor and the Jaguar GR3A ground attack aircraft
The Tornados will be replaced from 2006-2010, and the Jaguars from 2010-2014. Initial deliveries of the Typhoon to the RAF have begun. The first unit to form was an Operational Evaluation Unit, No. 17 Sqn in 2003, followed by the Operational Conversion Unit, 29 Sqn at BAE Warton in 2004. The aircraft are expected to move to RAF Coningsby in 2005. The initial designations for the RAF aircraft are T1 for the two-seater trainer, and F1* for the single-seater operational fighter.
The Typhoon is set to be based at RAF Coningsby, RAF Leuchars and RAF Leeming comprised of 7 squadrons of which four will be primarily air defence, two will be multi role squadrons and one will be a fighter bomber squadron.
(*Some confusion exists over the fighter variant's designation. Information from the RAF remains slightly contradictory at present but the actual designation of the fighter variant appears to be F2).
An extensive overseas sales effort has so far yielded an order from Austria for 18 units, and an initial interest from Greece for 60 aircraft. Norway has also expressed interest, but has yet to buy any Eurofighters. Other countries expressing interest include South Africa, Chile, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
The Typhoon could possibly meet the requirements of the UK's Future Offensive Air System programme, which is seeking to replace the deep-strike capability provided by the Tornado GR4. If selected, the Typhoon would likely be modified for internal weapons carriage and increased internal fuel capacity.
The Typhoon's combat performance, particularly compared to the upcoming F/A-22 Raptor and F-35 fighters under development in the United States and the Dassault Rafale developed in France, has been the subject of some speculation. While making a complete assessment is impossible on publicly available information, there is a study by the UK's DERA comparing the Typhoon to other contemporary fighters; in it, the Typhoon was second only to the F/A-22 in combat performance.
In March 2005, USAF Chief of Staff General John P. Jumper, then the only person to have flown both the Typhoon and the Raptor, talked to Air Force Print News about these two aircraft. He said that "the Eurofighter is both agile and sophisticated, but is still difficult to compare to the F/A-22 Raptor".
In June 2005, The Scotsmanreported that, in a mock confrontation with two American F-15 fighter aircraft, a Eurofighter pilot was able to avoid his pursuers and outmanoeuvre them to get into shooting position. Unattributed statements indicate that the success of the craft came as a surprise to both the Americans and the RAF.
While the Typhoon lacks the all-aspect stealth technology of the F/A-22, the design does incorporate many low-observable features, resulting in a much smaller radar cross-section than earlier fighters. It is also capable of sustained supersonic cruise without using afterburners. The F/A-22 and the Rafale are the only other current fighters with supercruise capabilities.
The Typhoon is a highly maneuverable aircraft. This is achieved because the Typhoon is inherently unstable, a quadruplex digital control system provides artificial stability by constantly adjusting the control surfaces (Fly-by-wire).
According to EADS, the maximum speed possible without reheat is Mach 1.5 (although this drops to Mach 1.3 with an air-to-air weapons load).
The MBDA Meteor, the planned long-range air-to-air armament, will probably be the world's most advanced long-range air-to-air missile when it is completed, with a longer range and greater manoeuverability than any current American missile. This should prove a major advantage over fighters with less advanced missiles, particularly ones without the benefit of stealth and thus easily detectable on radar.
As German newspapers reported in 2004, the few Eurofighters in service with the Luftwaffe did not meet specifications at that time. Because of technical difficulties, the aircraft is only allowed to take off without cannon ammunition and at moderate temperatures. However, it is important to note that early aircraft are delivered at a baseline state, with capability to be increased incrementally; indeed, BAE has stated that the capability of the aircraft will increase at a faster rate than the training of pilots.
In 2001, it was announced that the RAF would not use the aircraft's internal cannon. This is not due to a perceived inadequacy in the cannon, but to it being deemed unnecessary since the missile armament is believed adequate in the Typhoon's fighter role.[1] However, removal of the cannon would affect the aircraft's flight characteristics, requiring modification of the aircraft's flight software at expense. As a consequence of this, the RAF has announced that all its Typhoons will be fitted with the cannon but it will not be used. The service argues this will save money by reducing the requirement for ground equipment and avoiding the fatigue effects of firing the cannon. The RAF maintains the option to activate the cannons at very short notice should operational requirements change. [2]
Development of different national prototypes and continued differences over specification lead to cancellation of ECF programme.
Panavia partners (Germany, Italy and UK) launch Agile Combat Aircraft (ACA) programme. Following failure of Germany and Italy to fund development the UK MoD pays £80m prototype, the European Aircraft Programme (EAP.)
May - Contract for production of EAP prototype signed.
Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain launch Future European Fighter Aircraft (F/EFA) programme. Aircraft to have Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) and Beyond Visual Range (BVR) capabilities.
France reiterates requirement for carrier capable version and demands 50% workshare. Britain, Germany and Italy opt out and establish new EFA programme
EuroDASS formed for development of Defensive Aids Sub System (DASS.) Initially only UK and Italy participate. When Eurofighter enters service only RAF aircraft will exploit all capabilities of DASS.
July - Germany announces intention to withdraw from the project. Negotiations begin to reduce costs. As a single engine aircraft is ruled out Germany decides to fit cheaper systems, e.g., F/A-18's APG-65 in place of ECR-90, and delay its service entry by two years. Germany eventually participates in all systems.
January 30 - NETMA and Eurofighter GmbH sign production and support contracts for 620 aircraft.
September - Typhoon name adopted, announced as strictly for export contracts. There is some controversy as the last aircraft to bear the name was the Hawker Typhoon, a World War II aircraft.
March 8 - First export sale, 60 ordered and 30 options by Greece.
May 16 - UK commits to MBDA Meteor BVRAAM, leading to significant benefits for export prospects.
July 7 - DA2 emerges from ten month stand down with latest avionics. Finished in black (see below) to reduce cosmetic effect of 490 pressure transducers applied to airframe.
April 5 - Instrumented Production Aircraft (IPA2) makes maiden flight from Turin.
April 11 - IPA 3 makes maiden flight from EADS Military Aircraft, Manching, Germany.
April 15 - IPA 1 makes maiden flight from BAE Warton.
July 2 - Austria announces acquisition of 24 Typhoon's, later reduced to 18.
July 23 - "Typhoon" name officially adopted as in-service name by four partner nations.
November 21 - Spain's DA6 crashes about 110 kilometres (70 miles) south-west of Madrid. The problem is later attributed to an early development model of the EJ200 powerplant, a problem which the manufacturer insists cannot occur in production engines.
