Eurofighter Typhoon FGR.4 (AESA) - the UK's most advanced Typhoon

Sebbo_the_Plebbo · November 27, 2024, 6:38pm

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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 FGR.4 ‘ZK355’. The FGR.4 is currently UKs most advanced single-seat Eurofighter variant in service, having been incrementally upgraded over the past 20 years to carry essentially every weapon in the RAF’s arsenal, including Meteors, ASRAAMs, Storm Shadows, Spears, Paveways, Brimstones, and more.

However, all of UKs Eurofighter fleet are Tranche 3 or older aircraft, which means that out of the factory they all are equipped with the Captor-M Mechanically Scanned Array Radar. No orders have been placed by the UK for Tranche 4 aircraft, which come with a much more modern AESA radar as standard.

The RAF is therefore looking into retrofitting its existing fleet of aircraft with a modern AESA radar, the ECRS Mk 2. In 2023, the first British aircraft, FGR.4 ZK355, received the ECRS Mk 2 for flight trials, marking a significant milestone in UK Eurofighter development.

In game, this would serve as UKs most advanced Eurofighter (so I’m not advocating for it to come any time soon!) and offer equivalent performance to the Tranche 4 aircraft ordered by Germany and Italy.

Specifications

Spoiler

Armament:

• 1 x BK27 Mauser Cannon (150rpg)
• 2-6 x ASRAAM
• 4-6 x Meteor/AMRAAM
• 6-8 x Paveway LGBs
• 12 x Brimstone
• 12 x Spear 3
• 3 x Storm Shadow
• 2 x ALARM
• Litening Targetting Pod

Airframe:

• Crew: 1
• 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)