The Eurofighter Typhoon is a supersonic fighter aircraft in service with the air forces of several NATO nations since 2003. It was designed and developed as a joint project of Germany, UK, Spain, and Italy. Each one of these countries built different parts of the aircraft. Since it is a multi-role airplane, it is also used in ground-attack missions. Thus, the Eurofighter Typhoon is capable of destroying both aerial targets on long distances and short distance flight maneuver warfare (dogfight), as well as concentration of enemy troops and command posts on the ground below. Four European defense firms took part in the development and production of this aircraft: the British BAE Systems, the Spanish 'CASA', the Italian 'Alenia Aerospazio', and the German 'DASA'. It first saw combat action in 2011 in Libya, flying sorties to strike Muammar Gaddafi government troops.
The first prototype of the Eurofighter Typhoon, the DA1, performed its maiden flight on March 27, 1994. The flight test phase lasted nine years, longer than it had originally been planned. In 1998, they gave it its official name: 'Typhoon', and the aircraft finally entered service with the German Luftwaffe (Air Force) on August 4, 2003, with the delivery of the first batch of 30 aircraft. Although Spain had already received its first production aircraft on February 17, 2003, it would officially be introduced into service with Spanish Air Force on August 27 that year. The United Kingdom acquired 160 Typhoons, Germany 181, Italy 97, and Spain 81. This European joint venture also produced a two-seat trainer version of the aircraft.
Technical Description
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a single-seat, twin-engine monoplane. Its fuselage is all-metal, made of steel, aluminum-lithium, titanium, and carbon-fiber. It has a cropped delta, low wing configuration, with canards to improve maneuverability by providing the aircraft with additional lift. The wing has extensive sweep along its leading edge. The aircraft had a fly-by-wire control system, which is operated electronically rather than manually. The Typhoon is fitted with a glass cockpit located forward of wing and aft of the nose cone housing the radar assembly; it has three color, multi-function displays. The airplane is powered by two Eurojet EJ200 turbofan engines, with each one delivering 20,200 pounds of thrust when using afterburner. Engines air intakes are located on belly of aircraft.
Specifications
Type: multi-role fighter
Length: 15.96 m (52 feet, 4 inches)
Wing Span: 10.95 m (35 feet, 11 inches)
Wing Area: 51.2 m2 (551 square feet)
Height: 5.28 m (17 feet, 4 inches)
Weight: 11 tons
Power Plant: two 20,200-lb Eurojet EJ200 turbofan engines
Maximum Speed: Mach 2 (2,469 km/h)
Range: 2,900 km (1,800 miles)
Rate of Climb: 315 m/s
Service Ceiling: 19,812 m (65,000 feet)
Crew: 1
Armament: one 27-mm Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon; two IRIS-T air-to-air missiles, two MBDA Meteor air-to-air missiles; bomb-load of 9,000 kg (19,800-lb) of bombs/missiles, which includes Stormshadow and Taurus KEPD-350 air-to-ground missiles, and Paveway II and III laser-guided bombs.
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| Above, the belly of a German Luftwaffe's Typhoon showing the wide assortment of missiles and bombs. |
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| Eurofighter Typhoon in RAF service about to touch down. Photo taken around 2003. |
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| The delta-winged aircraft in Spanish service flying along the Spanish Mediterranean coast. |
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| Front view of the Eurofighter Typhoon. |