- Yes
- No
Introduction
The Eurofighter Typhoon’s development began in the early 1980s as a multinational collaboration to create a highly agile, multi-role fighter to replace aging fleets in European air forces. Initially known as the European Fighter Aircraft (EFA) program, it was spearheaded by the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain, with France also being involved initially, but soon diverging into a development that lead to the Rafale. The project faced numerous delays due to technical challenges and political disagreements, particularly over cost-sharing and work distribution among partner nations.
The aircraft’s first prototype, the DA1, flew on 27th March, 1994, marking a major milestone. Official production began in the late 1990s under a consortium led by Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo. The final design consisted of a delta-wing and canard configuration for superior maneuverability and rapid time-to-altitude, coupled with advanced avionics and weapons systems.
The Eurofighter Typhoon entered British service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 2003, following the acceptance of the first operational aircraft. The RAF initially introduced the Typhoon in an air-defense role to replace the aging Tornado F3s. By the late 2000s, it was upgraded to perform multi-role operations, including precision ground-attack missions. The Typhoon was deployed in its first combat operation during the 2011 Libyan Civil War, where RAF Typhoons enforced a no-fly zone and conducted strike missions. The aircraft has since become a cornerstone of the RAF’s capabilities, with upgrades ensuring its relevance in modern warfare.
The variant discussed here is the 4th Development Aircraft, or DA.4, the first two-seater Typhoon delivered to the RAF. It was an avionics testing and development aircraft, operating out of BAE Warton between 1997-2006, and its purpose was to make sure that all the relevant software on the plane, from fly-by-wire and navigations systems, to weapons integration and radar interfacing, was working as intended. It completed 37 flights for a total of 36 hours and 52 minutes of flight time, the lowest across the entire Development Aircraft fleet of the Typhoon customer nations.
Following this, it became a ground instructional airframe, training Eurofighter technicians on maintenance and repairs of the fleet. Between 2009 and 2020, it was a museum piece, predominantly on display in the Imperial War Museum and Newark Air Museum, until it was rather controversially requisitioned back by the RAF to resume its role as a ground instruction airframe.
Being an early model Typhoon, the DA.4 has essentially zero air-to-ground capability and it is almost purely an air-to-air fighter. However, it lacks the modern missiles used on the Typhoon in the present day, such as the Meteor and ASRAAM, and as such will be suitable to be among the first RAF Eurofighters to be added to the game.
Specifications
Spoiler
Armament:
• 1 x BK27 Mauser Cannon (150rpg)
• 2-6 x AIM 9L/Li
• 4-6 x AMRAAM
Airframe:
• Crew: 2
• Length: 15.96 m (52 ft 4 in)
• Wingspan: 10.95 m (35 ft 11 in)
• Height: 5.28 m (17 ft 4 in)
• Wing area: 51.2 m2 (551 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 11,000 kg (24,251 lb)
• Gross weight: 16,000 kg (35,274 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 23,500 kg (51,809 lb)
• Fuel capacity: 4,996 kg (11,010 lb) / 6,215 L (1,642 US gal; 1,367 imp gal) internal
• Powerplant: 2 × Eurojet EJ200 afterburning turbofan engines, 60 kN (13,000 lbf) thrust each dry, 90 kN (20,000 lbf) with afterburner
• Maximum speed: Mach 2.0+ (2,495 km/h) - 1,530 km/h (950 mph; 830 kn) / Mach 1.25 at sea level
• Supercruise: Mach 1.5
• Range: 2,900 km (1,800 mi, 1,600 nmi)
• Combat range: up to 1,389 km with 3 × external 1,000 l tanks
• Ferry range: 3,790 km (2,350 mi, 2,050 nmi) with 3 × drop tanks
• Service ceiling: 19,812 m (65,000 ft)
• G limits: +9 / -3
• Rate of climb: 315 m/s (62,000 ft/min) - 150 m/s average to 9000m(30,000ft)
• Acceleration: Mach 0.3 → Mach 1 in 30s.
• Wing loading: 312 kg/m2 (64 lb/sq ft)
• Thrust/weight: 1.15 (interceptor configuration)
Images
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