The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin engine supersonic multi-role combat fighter jet aircraft built by the holding company Eurofighter GmbH. The design and production were overseen by a combination of the following three companies: EADS, Alenia Aeronautica, and BAE Systems, while the overall project was managed by NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency. The project got underway in 1986 and models are still being produced today. There are different variations of the Typhoon being produced under what they refer to as “tranches”. Each of these tranches offers a unique set of capabilities that are designed for the end user in mind. The Eurofighter Typhoon is currently deployed by the following military entities: German Luftwaffe, British Royal Air Force, Italian Air Force, Spanish Air Force, Austrian Air Force and Royal Saudi Air Force. The countries of Japan, India, and Greece have also shown great interest in acquiring the Eurofighter Typhoon but no firm deals have been announced yet.

Design
The Eurofighter Typhoon features a canard-delta wing design which helps it to achieve incredible maneuverability at both low and high speeds. The aircraft was designed with a relaxed stability attitude for handling, which essentially means that the aircraft is always on the verge of being out of control and without constant input from the aircraft’s computer or operator this would occur. The F-16 was the first aircraft to feature this design, which at the time was a revolutionary way for designers to come up with an increasingly maneuverable aircraft. The Typhoon is equipped with quadruply redundant digital fly by wire systems which provide artificial stability control, as the pilot alone would not be able to manually compensate for the instability resulting from the relaxed stability design. The fly by wire system also prevents pilots from exceeding any of the aircraft’s performance and maneuver limits. The Eurofighter Typhoon also features dual independent hydraulic control systems to operate rudder, flaperons, foreplanes, canopy, and brakes. These systems are powered by a 4,000psi gearbox which is powered by the aircraft’s engines. The Typhoon features extensive use of lightweight composites, which make up approximately 82% of the aircraft and allow it to achieve a lifespan which is estimated to be 6,000 flying hours.

The Typhoon incorporates an extremely sophisticated defense system which can provide electronic counter measures as well as provide protection from air to air, surface to air, and laser guided missiles. The strength of this system comes from the fact that it can respond to multiple threats simultaneously and assess which threat poses the greatest risk, while responding accordingly. The Typhoon uses an all glass cockpit in combination with a wide angle heads up display (HUD) and helmet mounted symbology system. The aircraft comes with a standard G-suit which provides protection for the pilot, enabling them to perform maneuvers up to 9 g, while the German and Austrian Air Force pilots where a complete hydrostatic suit that provides additional protection for the pilots arms. This increased protection theoretically allows pilots to sustain a greater g force, but no official figures have been released regarding this.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is equipped with one Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon along with a total of 13 hard points which can accommodate a variety of weapons configurations. With a maximum speed of Mach 2, at altitude, and a supercruise speed of between Mach1.1-1.5 the Typhoon features impressive speed capabilities. It features a loaded weight of around 35,000 pounds and each engine features a maximum thrust of 13,000 pounds (20,000 pounds with afterburner). This power is provided by the twin Eurojet EJ200 afterburning turbofan engines.

Development
The Eurofighter Typhoon project was managed from Munich, Germany starting in 1986 by Eurofighter GmbH and at the time was known as the Eurofighter EFA. Later in 1992 the project was renamed EF2000 and later when completed took on the Eurofighter Typhoon moniker. The engine was to be developed by a consortium of several manufacturers, similar to the group undertaking the entire project. This group came to be known as EuroJet Turbo GmbH and consisted of Rolls Royce, MTU Aero Engines, FiatAvio, and ITP. When the project was initially proposed the production work was to be shared among the participating countries based on their projected proportion of aircraft needed. This resulted in Germany and the UK having 33% each, while Italy had 21% and Spain had 13%. This production percentage was to be overseen by the private companies representing each country.

The first flight of the prototype Typhoon took place in March of 1994 in Bavaria. Subsequent cold weather testing took place in Sweden starting in 2004, which was intended to test the aircraft’s handling characteristics in temperatures between -25 and 31 degrees Celsius. The first flight for the Typhoon tranche 2 model took place in January of 2008. To date there have been a total of over 260 Typhoon’s built and delivered, and the expected production summary is as follows: Tranche 1: 148, Tranche 2: 299, Tranche 3A: 112. Including development and production expenses, each aircraft is said to have a cost 125million pounds. The Eurofighter Typhoon is an example of how several nations can work together to produce a revolutionary aircraft through collaboration and sharing of technology.

Related Articles: