Britain’s Typhoon Eurofighter Nightmare Has Now Just Begun

Key Points and Summary: The Eurofighter Typhoon, a highly versatile fourth-generation fighter, remains a cornerstone of the Royal Air Force (RAF) despite plans to retire 30 Tranche 1 jets starting in 2025.

-While advancements in stealth aircraft like the F-35B dominate modernization efforts, the Typhoon’s cost-effectiveness, reliability, and stealth-adjacent design ensure it retains operational relevance.

-With ongoing upgrades, the Typhoon is expected to remain combat-effective until 2040, complementing fifth-generation platforms for missions such as air policing and quick-reaction alerts.

-As the UK prioritizes F-35 expansions and the development of its sixth-generation Global Combat Air Program, the Typhoon will continue serving a vital role in European defense.

Eurofighter Typhoon: Why It’s Not Ready for Retirement Yet

The Eurofighter Typhoon, a fourth-generation, multinational, multi-role aircraft, has been a workhorse for the British Royal Air Force (RAF) for two decades.

The RAF has no more orders for Typhoons and will retire 30 of them beginning in March 2025. Twenty-six will be retired, and the remaining four will be decommissioned in 2027. 

Under the “Reduce to Produce” program, the Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 1 fighter jets will undergo a process where valuable components and equipment will be stripped and repurposed as inventory for the ongoing Eurofighter Typhoon fleet. BAE, the manufacturer of the Eurofighter Typhoon, has proposed upgrading the Tranche 1 aircraft to either Tranche 2 or Tranche 3 levels.

With the advances in stealth fighter design, such as the fifth-generation American F-35 and sixth-generation fighters currently being tested and designed, many believe the Typhoon should be retired as soon as possible. 

The future is indeed narrowing for the Typhoon, and it is closer to its end of service life than the beginning, but the Typhoon remains a capable aircraft. It should and will remain in service for the foreseeable future.

The Eurofighter Typhoon

The Typhoon multi-role aircraft is an easily recognizable multinational twin-engine, supersonic, canard delta wing, multi-role fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo.

The UK, Germany, Italy, Austria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Spain currently use typhoons. 

Typhoon Fighter Specs

Crew: 1 or 2

Length: 15.96 m (52 ft 4 in)

Wingspan: 10.95 m (35 ft 11 in)

Gross weight: 16,000 kg (35,274 lb)

Max takeoff weight: 23,500 kg (51,809 lb)

Powerplant: 2 × Eurojet EJ200 afterburning turbofan engines, which can provide up to 20,230 pounds of thrust (with the afterburners engaged) 

Maximum speed: Mach 2.35 (1,600 mph) at 11 km altitude[ or Mach 

Range: 2,900 km (1,800 mi, 1,600 nmi)

Combat range: 1,389 km (863 mi, 750 nmi) ground attack

Ferry range: 3,790 km (2,350 mi, 2,050 nmi) with 3 × drop tanks

Endurance: 3 hours combat air patrol at 185 km (100 nmi; 115 mi

Service ceiling: 16,764 m (55,000 ft) 

Max flight altitude: 20 km (65,000 ft)

Armament: 1 × 27 mm Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon with 150 rounds and a variety of missiles and bombs

Debate on Whether To Expand Fleet of F-35s

The RAF has used Typhoons since 2003 and had its baptism of fire, entering combat in 2011. However, the UK government is debating whether to expand its Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II fleet, the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant that can operate from the Royal Navy’s two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.

Eurofighter Typhoon

The UK’s Ministry of Defence “is inclined to increase its combat aviation forces through an” F-35 follow-on buy “rather than acquiring more Eurofighter Typhoons,” according to Janes.

An anonymous British official told Janes that the UK is looking to beef up its fleet of F-35s, which have a service life into the 2070s. However, he added that the Eurofighter Typhoon will remain a “core component” of the RAF and will receive upgrades and other enhancements to maintain its “operational capabilities.”

The UK is moving toward funding more F-35s and the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) for a sixth-generation fighter.

Why The Eurofighter Typhoon Will Stick Around 

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a popular airframe in Europe because of its performance and reliability. While it is not a stealth aircraft, it does offer some stealthy characteristics. 

Harrison Kass detailed that serpentine, or s-shaped air intake outlets, partially hide the Eurofighter’s jet turbine blades. Radar targets like the delta wing, canard, and fin leading edges are aggressively swept to avoid reflecting radar energy to the front of the airframe. 

External weapons are mounted semi-recessed into the airframe, partially shielding these weapons from radar. Lastly, radar-absorbent materials (RAM) were used to coast many of the jet’s reflector spots, like the wing leading edges, intake edges, rudder, and strakes.

A UK Eurofighter Typhoon flies above the Baltics on 25 May 2022. UK and Czech fighter jets have been taking part in air defense training over the Baltic region. UK Eurofighter Typhoons, F-35s, and Czech Gripens were involved in an exercise as part of Neptune Shield 22 (NESH22), a multinational maritime vigilance activity. NESH22 has seen a range of multi-domain activities between air, land, and maritime assets across Europe and in the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas. It runs from 17 to 31 May 2022.

A stealth fighter is also less necessary for some missions, such as air policing and quick-reaction alerts. Advancements in air-to-air missile range allow non-stealthy jets like the Eurofighter to fly with fifth-generation aircraft and remain combat-effective until at least 2040.

An additional attractive aspect of the Eurofighter is its low per-hour flight cost compared to fifth-generation stealth aircraft. The issue also has a political aspect. European jobs, tax revenues, and aviation expertise are at risk.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a fast, highly maneuverable fighter that still has a role in the European continent…for now. 

About the Author

Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 19FortyFive, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in other military publications.