- Yes
- No
Following its introduction into service in 2003 the Eurofighter has proven to be an effective multirole fighter platform, with its superb flight characteristics, long range, large payload, variety of ordinance, and cutting-edge technology. One issue that has continued to hold back the Eurofighter however has been the reliance on mechanical radars which is fairly outdated compared to most modern fighters which use an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. The solution to this has been the development of a new AESA radar called ECRS, previously known as CAPTOR-E, as a replacement for old mechanical CAPTOR-M radars in existing airframes and as a new radar going forward for new production aircraft.
The subject of this suggestion is therefore Germany’s latest production model of the Eurofighter to enter service, the Eurofighter EF-2000 Tranche 4 “Quadriga”. The Quadriga brings about a number of improvements over previous Eurofighter traches, the most notable of which is the new Hensoldt ECRS (Eurofighter Common Radar System) Mk1. As an AESA radar, this brings with it a number of improvements, most notable of which is the greatly improved range, resolution, and target tracking capability typical of AESA radars and due to large size of the Eurofighter’s radome, it is also able to achieve a 90 degree field of view enable 180 degree view in front of the fighter, a 40 degree improvement over all current top-tier aircraft in War Thunder. ECRS Mk1 also features a ground moving target tracking mode, electronic warfare modes, a high degree of jamming resistance, being able to filter out and compensate for enemy jamming using adaptive beam forming.
The Tranche 4 is also set to be paired with the new Large Area Display which was approved as part of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) contract signed between all Eurofighter partner countries. This also brings about faster mission computing, new flight controls computing and upgraded communications and armament systems.
Despite these improvements, it’s armaments have remained largely unchanged from earlier variants, featuring the AMRAAM and Meteor as it’s radar guided missile and Siderwinder and IRIS-T for its IR guided missile. The Brimstone serves as the primary precision ground strike weapon while Paveway laser guided bombs can also be used.
With the introduction of Tranche 4 to the Luftwaffe later in 2025, Germany is set to become the first original partner nation to operate a Eurofighter with an AESA radar. In-game this could provide German Eurofighters something unique over other Eurofighter operating nations who use PIRATE IRST, something the German Eurofighters lack due to it not seeing full service.
Specifications
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 15.96 m
Wingspan: 10.95 m
Height: 5.28 m
Wing area: 51.2 m2
Empty weight: 11,000 kg
Gross weight: 16,000 kg
Max takeoff weight: 23,500 kg
Fuel capacity: 4,996 kg / 6,215 L internal
Powerplant: 2 × Eurojet EJ200 afterburning turbofan engines, 60 kN thrust each dry, 90 kN with afterburner
Performance
Maximum speed: 2,500 km/h at 11 km altitude — or Mach 2.35
1,530 km/h (950 mph; 830 kn) at sea level — or Mach 1.25
Supercruise: Mach 1.5
Range: 2,900 km
Service ceiling: 16,764 m
Max flight altitude: 20 km
g limits: +9 / -3
Rate of climb: 315 m/s
Wing loading: 312 kg/m2
Thrust/weight: 1.15 (interceptor configuration)
Brakes-off to Take-off acceleration: <8 s
Brakes-off to supersonic acceleration: <30 s
Brakes-off to Mach 1.6 at 11,000 m (36,000 ft): <150 s
Armament
Air-to-air:
AIM-120 AMRAAM
Meteor
AIM-9 Sidewinder
IRIS-T
Air-to-ground:
Brimstone
Paveway II
Paveway IV
LJDAM
