Eurofighter Typhoon Is NATO’s Best (Non-Stealth) Fighter

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Key Points: The Eurofighter Typhoon is a swing-role fighter jet capable of transitioning between air superiority and ground attack missions mid-flight. Some say its NATO’s best fighter. 

-Designed through a partnership among the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain, the Typhoon boasts partial stealth, exceptional speed (up to Mach 2), and agility.

-Advanced sensor systems, including active electronically scanned radar and infrared tracking, enhance its ability to operate in contested airspace.

-Armed with an extensive missile arsenal, it performs well in multi-national NATO operations.

-However, with a price tag exceeding that of the F-35A, the Eurofighter faces stiff competition in cost-conscious markets, despite its impressive versatility and features.

Eurofighter Typhoon: The Swing-Role Fighter NATO Relies On

You need to learn about a swing-role fighter jet because that is what the Eurofighter Typhoon is. Able to be assigned an escort or dog-fighting mission and then change parameters to ground attack or close air support operations in-flight, this thing is a multi-role, partially-stealth hot rod.

Eurofighter: How Stealthy Is It?

Where do I begin about the Eurofighter Typhoon?

Let’s talk about stealth characteristics because if this joint effort among defense contractors from the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain is to work, it must outcompete the F-35.

The Eurofighter’s surface is just 15 percent metal, which means it has enviable radar absorption. The rest of the coating is composite to reduce the radar cross-section. The front of the engines is hidden by jet inlets, which further enhance the aircraft’s partial stealth characteristics.

Fast Airplane With Deep Acceleration and Climbing Ability

Twin EJ200 engines provide high speed and thrust, making the airplane agile and maneuverable. The Eurofighter can hit MACH 2. MACH 1 can be reached in 30 seconds and can climb almost 30,000 feet in 60 seconds.

Check Out This Sensor Suite

The Typhoon’s sensors are incredible. The active electronically scanned radar is where it all starts. This enabled the multi-mission role of air-to-air and air-to-ground operations. The “field of regard” is almost 50 percent wider than “traditional fixed plate systems,” the manufacturers claim.

Great Ability in Contested Air Space

There is Passive Infra-Red Airborne Tracking Equipment (PIRATE) to handle a high-threat battlespace with multiple targets at once. Advanced friend or foe identification system keeps the pilot safe. What makes this airplane great for NATO and in operations that require multi-national forces is its data sharing component. The airplane “talks” to the ground controllers with ease.

Pilots Should Be Thrilled to Fly It

The cockpit is pilot-friendly, with advanced heads-up and heads-down displays. The view is low latency. Night vision goggles are enabled if needed. To help aviators in high-stress and high-g-force situations, the helmet can control breathing with the aid of a computer.

Eurofighter: This Thing Is a Missile Truck

Next come the weapons, and this is the best part. The Eurofighter can launch the Meteor, Iris-T, ASRAAM, and AMRAAM air-to-air missiles. Air-to-ground munitions include the Stormshadow, Brimstone Two, GBU-10, and many others.

Look Out, One Could Land On a Road Near You

German Eurofighters have been in action during allied drills over Europe. They even recently landed on a highway in Finland to show their versatility and ability to land in emergency settings if something goes wrong. The Eurofighters refueled with the engines running and then took off again on a smaller road just over 111 miles from the Russian border. This likely had the air force generals at the Kremlin in a fit of rage.

The Problem Is the Relatively High Cost

While it is not completely stealthy, the Eurofighter stacks up well against the competition. It has a significant number of cool specs and new systems, plus the ability to carry an impressive amount of weaponry. But the cost is prohibitive at this time. The British government estimates that a Eurofighter Typhoon costs $117 million. Add in development costs and capital costs, and you are talking about a $201 million price tag. Meanwhile, the British have paid only $79.2 million for an F-35A.

This is a problem for the Eurofighter consortium. The price for the Eurofighter Typhoon will decrease as more are produced, but the choice between a fully stealthy and more affordable F-35 could be popular for NATO countries.

Nevertheless, it is good to have competition in the export market. The Eurofighter Typhoon packs a punch, and it shows engineers were correct to emphasize swing-role characteristics. The airplane can have a multi-mission set during just one sortie and that is important in today’s combat that requires a fighter to able to dogfight and take out ground targets in one mission.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.