The Eurofighter Typhoon is a highly agile 4.5th generation fighter-bomber capable of handling a wide variety of tasks from air defense to strategic strikes. The only real drawback in the modern age is that it is not completely stealthy.
History[]
Developed during the height of the Cold War, it has been criticized as an overly-expensive interceptor, but has demonstrated its capability in a large number of exercises and has attracted wide interest from foreign buyers, including Saudi Arabia and India.
Specifications[]
In service date: 2007
Combat debut: 2011 - Operation Unified Protector (Libya)
Maximum speed: Mach 2 at altitude, Mach 1.2 at sea level. Can "supercruise" at Mach 1.1 to 1.5.
Maximum range: 1,800 miles normal, 2,350 in "ferry mode" (with maximum fuel and minimum equipment)
Service ceiling: c. 65,000 feet/20,000 meters
Rate of climb: Over 315 meters per second
Guns: One 27mm Mauser cannon with 150 rounds of ammo
Missile options: The aircraft has a total of 13 hard-points for mounting weapons,targeting pods,fuel tanks, etc.
- AIM-132 Advanced Short-Range Air-To-Air Missile (ASRAAM): A British replacement for the popular Sidewinder, this is a heat-seeking air-to-air missile capable of locking onto a target after launch, allowing for over-the-shoulder shots. Range approximately 10 miles.
- AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-To-Air Missile (AMRAAM): Active-radar-guided air-to-air missile; range approximately 30 miles.
- Storm Shadow: Stand-off GPS-guided cruise missile, range approximately 150 miles.
- Brimstone: Anti-armor missile with a high-level of accuracy, range approximately 7 miles.
- Paveway laser-guided bombs
- Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) GPS-guided bombs
Integrated equipment
- CAPTOR radar system; capable of "track while scan".
- Passive Infra-Red Airborne Tracking Equipment (PIRATE): allows for tracking of aircraft without using radar.
- Electronic Counter Measures (ECM), including jammers, flares (decoy heat-seekers) and chaff (decoy radar-guided missiles)
- Radar Warning Receiver: Detects enemy radars and allows identification of type of radar (by extension, what is emitting it).
- Helmet-Mounted Sight: Allows for firing of ASRAAMs at up to 60 degrees off nose-line, considerably boosting one's performance in dogfighting.
- Voice-activated control system that allows most non-flying functions except weapons release to be done by voice.
- Zero-zero ejection seat