Summary and Key Points: The Eurofighter Typhoon has evolved from a Cold War interceptor into a sophisticated multi-role platform capable of operating through the 2040s. Some are now even calling this upgraded fighter a ‘Super’ Eurofighter Typhoon fighter.
-While lacking the full stealth of an F-22, the Typhoon matches its Mach 2 speed and exceptional thrust-to-weight ratio using 70% carbon-fiber composites.
Eurofighter Typhoon. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Eurofighter Typhoon. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-Key to its 2026 lethality is the integration of the Meteor “no-escape” missile, the Storm Shadow bunker-buster, and Brimstone II precision-strike weapons.
-Supported by the Captor-E AESA radar and PIRATE IRST sensors, the Typhoon serves as a “swing-role” bridge between 4th and 5th-generation airpower.
In 2 Words: Massive Upgrades.
The Eurofighter Typhoon’s Evolution: From Interceptor to Multi-Role Powerhouse
The famous multinational Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet entered service 20 years ago, just a few years before the arrival of the US F-22 in 2005.
However, much like the F-22, the Typhoon has received such a high volume of advanced weapons and technology upgrades that it is expected to fly successfully into the 2040s and beyond.
The Typhoon is not as stealthy as the 5th-generation F-22, yet it is engineered with an F-22-like speed of Mach 2 and an excellent thrust-to-weight ratio.
While the Typhoon’s airframes trace back several decades, they have remained quite viable and have received maintenance and sustainment in recent years.Airframes themselves can remain viable for decades, provided they receive sufficient and regular maintenance with structural reinforcement as needed.
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor and a KC-135 Stratotanker, assigned to the 434th Air Refueling Wing, Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind., conduct aerial refueling over the continental United States, Aug. 21, 2018, during the Northern Lightning 18-2 exercise. Northern Lightning is one of seven Air National Guard joint accredited exercises held at a Combat Readiness Training Center and provides tailored, cost-effective and realistic combat training for participating units in a joint and multinational environment. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Mary E. Greenwood)
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor assigned to the 3rd Wing conducts aerial practices at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, March 28. The F-22 is an American twin-engine, all-weather, supersonic stealth fighter aircraft and provides power projection across the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Tala Hunt)
Therefore, with a solid airframe, a fighter jet can be upgraded with new weapons, software, sensors, computing, avionics, and communications technology, making it almost an entirely different aircraft from its inception.
The aircraft originally operated with the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain, but has since expanded to fly with many countries, including Austria, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.
Eurofighter Typhoon and F-22
The Eurofighter Typhoon achieves an F-22-like thrust-to-weight ratio with its lightweight materials and Eurojet 2000 engines; it is built with 70 percent carbon-fiber composites.
Software upgrades to the Typhoon have enabled a “swing-roll” capability, something Typhoon pilots say allows the fighter to perform multiple functions at once, such as firing missiles and dropping bombs.
In recent years, the Eurofighter has been equipped with an entirely new generation of weapons and technologies that have drastically improved its range, reach, accuracy, and lethality. The aircraft has 13 hardpoints, and the GPS- and laser-guided bombs carried by the Typhoon include 2,000-, 1,000-, and 500-pound GBUs, as well as the Paveway IV, a 500-pound laser-guided bomb.
The Typhoon has, for instance, been armed with a European missile referred to as the Storm Shadow, a highly lethal air-launched missile used to destroy Saddam Hussein’s bunkers at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
Known for its accuracy, the Storm Shadow can achieve precision targeting and fire two missiles through the same hole in an enemy bunker target. The weapon used a special double-charge explosive effect, called a BROACH warhead, which includes an initial penetrating blast followed by a controlled detonation of the main warhead using a variable-delay fuze.
Eurofighter Typhoon Weapons
The Storm Shadow, also on the Royal Air Force’s Tornado aircraft, is built with a stealthy external configuration and a precision-guidance system that uses multi-mode GPS and inertial navigation.
Eurofighter was armed with a European missile called Meteor, which significantly increases what pilots refer to as the “no-escape range”—the distance or point at which an air-to-air adversary cannot fly away from or “escape” an approaching missile.
A UK Eurofighter Typhoon flies above the Baltics on 25 May 2022. UK and Czech fighter jets have been taking part in air defence 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.
Eurofighter Typhoon. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Typhoon fitted with the common launcher (computer generated image: for illustrative purposes only)
The Typhoon enhancements have also included the addition of a short-range standoff missile, Brimstone II.
This precision-guided weapon has also been in service on the British Tornado aircraft. Originally designed as a tank-killer weapon, Brimstone II is engineered with an all-weather, highly precise millimeter-wave seeker. In Afghanistan many years ago, a Brimstone was used to destroy an Al Qaeda traveling at 60km per hour.
The Typhoon has also been armed with a European missile called Meteor, which greatly increases what pilots refer to as the “no-escape range”—the distance or point at which an air-to-air adversary cannot fly away from or “escape” an approaching missile.
Eurofighter Typhoon Sensing
The sensing technology on board the Typhoon fighter is called Pirate, or passive infrared and targeting equipment.
It is a combination of infrared search-and-track and forward-looking infrared sensors.
The Typhoon’s cockpit has three large LCDs, which the pilot can switch between when assessing mission requirements. Many of the displays include situational awareness information such as moving digital maps, atmospheric information, sensor data, and targeting information.
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The Typhoon’s active electronically scanned array radar, or AESA, provides pilots with an expanded field of view compared to most existing radar, as it can track multiple targets at one time. The AESA provides the mechanical ability to rapidly reposition the receiver, increasing the area it can pick up signals.
The new radar is designed to work with other on-board sensors, such as forward-looking infrared sensors and passive infrared tracking technology, to locate stealth aircraft with low radar cross-sections.
About the Author: Kris Osborn
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Master’s Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia.
