Typhoon fighter: specifications and photos

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Since the Second World War and Vietnam, it has become obvious that it is very difficult to win an armed confrontation without air support. All recent years have been marked by the rapid development of attack and fighter aviation, and the industry is attracting more and more new scientific developments for this.

One of the most revealing results of the fusion of defense science and technology was the Typhoon fighter. According to leading foreign and domestic experts in the field of aviation, it is one of the highest quality examples of Western weapons. What kind of aircraft it is and how it is characterized, we will tell in this article.

Let's note right away that its distant ancestor, the Typhoon, a World War II fighter, also featured high maneuverability and excellent combat performance.

Basic information

At its core, this is a fourth-generation twin-engine fighter. It features a delta wing and is built according to the "duck" scheme. It should be noted that the modifications of the Typhoons, which werereleased in recent years, belong to the 4+ or 4++ generation. In general, the development of such a promising aircraft was started back in 1979.

The machine is produced in four versions at once. Separate versions are available for Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain. Particularly interesting is the fact that parts for the production of aircraft are not produced in one place: several aircraft manufacturing consortiums are engaged in this at once.

Government Contracting

Let's list those that produce the most important parts of the fuselage and engine:

• Alenia Aeronautica. Makes the back of the body, flaperons, and left wings.
• BAE Systems. Partially duplicates the first manufacturer in the production of parts for the rear of the aircraft, is engaged in the production of the front fuselage (together with the PGO), fairing, canopy. Also responsible for the tail stabilizer.
• EADS Deutschland. Makes the center section, and is also engaged in the release of the central part of the hull.
• EADS CASA. The company manufactures slats and right wing.

Main design features

In general, the Typhoon fighter was created largely taking into account the use of the most advanced achievements in electronics and aircraft construction. The designers have done a lot to ensure maximum maneuvering performance, even when approaching an attack at extreme angles.

The aircraft was designed according to a scheme involving the use of a delta wing withsweep of 53 degrees. The slats and flaps are two-section, the front horizontal tail is made according to the rotary type, the keel and rudder are without a stabilizer. Such a scheme is just the same and good for a sharp increase in aircraft maneuverability and a decrease in air resistance at supersonic speeds.

Invisible aircraft

To reduce the visibility of the machine for radar, the leading edge of the front plumage is made of a material that absorbs radio waves. Although the Typhoon fighter does not officially belong to the category of vehicles made using ste alth technology, technologies and materials that are capable of effectively dissipating radio emission are actively used in its production. In fact, such a task was originally set for the designers: to make the aircraft as invisible as possible from the front for modern radar detection.

What has been done to achieve this goal? Firstly, the air intakes were sunk into the body as much as possible, the input stages of the engines were masked with special devices. All the bearing planes of the wing and the leading edges of the stabilizers and plumage were covered from the leading edge with materials that absorb radar radiation. In addition, the guided missile mounts were also brought as close to the hull as possible, which also makes it possible to hide them from enemy radar radiation.

Here it should be mentioned that at present the Typhoon is a multi-purpose fighter-bomber, and therefore it is impossible in principle to ensure its complete invisibility (and it is not so necessary).

Basicdevelopers

Almost all of the new components and alloys that make it possible to achieve such high performance have been developed by EADS/DASA engineers. In addition, the same company was among the creators and then manufacturers of many of the most important structural elements of the aircraft. These include almost the entire leading edge of both wings, the outer and inner surfaces of the air intakes, as well as the elevators and adjacent components.

Main materials used in construction

There are many materials used, and there are not so many aluminum alloys traditional for aviation. So, more than 40% of the total mass of the airframe is carbon fiber. The amount of lithium and aluminum alloys reaches 20%, pure aluminum alloys account for 18%. High-strength titanium-based materials account for 12%, while fiberglass accounts for 10%. The surface of the aircraft is covered by 70% carbon fiber, 12% is occupied by materials based on fiberglass.

About 15% of the area is metal, and another 3% is occupied by extra strong plastics and other structural materials. By the way, among all European combat aircraft, the Typhoon fighter is the most technologically advanced: 5% of all technical solutions used have not yet been disclosed, being secret developments of European aerospace agencies.

Even during the initial planning of the aircraft design, the terms of reference included the condition that the weight of an empty aircraft should not exceed9999 kilograms. In addition, the possibility of using new alloys based on magnesium and aluminum is structurally incorporated. The resource of the airframe is not less than six thousand hours. Thus, the Typhoon fighter significantly outperforms the American F-35, in which this figure ranges from 2-4 thousand hours.

Characteristics of structural elements

The case is made according to the semi-monocoque scheme. There is a fairly effective overhead cockpit armor, which protects the pilot from the fire of individual small arms. The cockpit canopy is one-piece molded, protrudes relatively far beyond the hull. This solution allowed the pilot to provide the best possible overview. This is extremely important in modern maneuverable air combat. In this case, the Typhoon fighter, whose photo is in the article, is one of the best NATO vehicles.

As we have already said, the design used a scheme with a single-keel plumage, which has a rather large area. The massive air intake of the heat exchange system is quite noticeable. The entire wing skin is made of highly durable carbon fiber. However, there is one exception. We are talking about containers and deflected socks, which are located at the ends of the wings. They are made from aluminum and lithium alloys.

The total area of the horizontal tail is 2.40 m2. Light polymers (mostly) are also used for its manufacture. Simply put, the Typhoon fighter (you can see the photo in this material) is a high-tech aircraft, the production of which is simplyimpossible without a powerful industrial base.

Chassis

The landing gear of the aircraft is tricycle. Equipped with single wheel stands. The peculiarity is that the first two go in the direction of the body, while the front one retracts forward. Another feature unusual for NATO technology is that the landing gear is perfectly optimized for landing on very rough, poorly repaired runways. But there is a problem here. Initially, it was assumed that the minimum length of the GDP for landing would be five hundred meters. According to this indicator, the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter was also supposed to become advanced.

But already during the first field tests it turned out that in such conditions there is a strong overheating of the brake mechanisms, and therefore the minimum possible length was increased to 750 meters. However, in extreme cases, the pilot can use a brake parachute.

Engine development, main power plant specifications

The engine began to be developed back in 1983. The work began not from scratch: they took the engine from the Tornado aircraft as a basis. However, there is evidence that the power plant was taken from the experimental machine Rolls-Royce XG.40. Be that as it may, bench tests were only started in 1988.

The result of the development was the EJ200. This is a dual-circuit turbofan engine, one of the distinguishing features of which is a massive afterburner. Turbine blades are manufactured with extensive use of single crystal materials, all discs are manufactured bypowder stamping. The power plant control system is fully digital. Moreover, the engine has a built-in diagnostic system. Almost all fixed parts of the engine are made of composite materials. The combustion chamber is protected from wear by a ceramic-based compound.

This attention to detail makes the Eurofighter Typhoon one of the most durable combat aircraft of our time. So, as of 2010, more than 250 engines have already been assembled, the resource of which has been brought to 10 thousand hours.

The air intake is located under the fuselage, its contours are unchanged. The side walls are straight, the lower one is curved. This design is divided by a vertical baffle into two channels, and the lower part of each of them can deviate, providing better airflow under heavy loads.

Engines specifications

Note that even at the design stage of the aircraft, Germany, Great Britain, Spain and Italy signed an agreement under which the countries were obliged to jointly develop and modify the power plant for the Eurofighter Typhoon. The main feature of the engine is not even its durability and resource, but a modular design. This bold technical solution reduced the time required for its dismantling to 45 minutes.

The engine has the following specifications:

• Dry thrust is 6120 kgf.
• The afterburner value of the indicator is 9097 kgf.
• Under normal flight conditions, fuel consumption varies from 0.745 to0.813kg/kgf per hour.
• In afterburner mode, this figure is already much higher - from 1.65 to 1.72 kg/kgf per hour.
• The temperature of the gases emitted by the turbine can reach 1840°K.
• Average air consumption is 76 kg/s.
• The main diameter of the turbine is 740 mm.
• The total length of the power plant is 4 meters.
• She weighs 989 kg.
• The resource of old modifications is 6 thousand hours, but modern engines can already fly 10 thousand.
• The interval between engine checks is 1,000 hours.

This is what the "Typhoon" (fighter) is characterized by. The power of the aircraft is such that it can reach a maximum speed of up to Mach 2, which is about 2.5 thousand kilometers per hour.

Fuel reserves

The fuel supply is located both in the fuselage itself, and in the keel and in the wings, being placed in tanks made of especially durable materials. It is possible to place two spare tanks on the suspension units at once, the capacity of which is 1500 liters and 1000 liters, respectively. It should be especially noted that the designers provided for the possibility of air refueling, which is what makes the Typhoon (fighter) especially different. A fighter aircraft of this model, using all the fuel reserves, can fly about four thousand kilometers (in fact - no more than 3, 2 thousand).

Flight control systems

Quadruplex flight control systemadaptive. Note that there is no backup mechanical channel. It is due to complex electronic systems that the highest maneuverability at maximum flight speeds, as well as the confident behavior of the aircraft in such conditions, is ensured. The PIRATE forward vision system and the ECR90 pulse-Doppler station are part of the main weapon system.

The navigation system is inertial. It has ring laser gyroscopes, the pilot can use a special indicator sight, as well as equipment that automatically predicts the enemy's priority means of attack. In addition, the same system is responsible for determining evasive and attack maneuvers of enemy vehicles. Of course, electronics can make recommendations on the weapon system that is most rational to use in air combat.

Defensive and offensive systems

The most expensive electronic filling is the DASS system. For a long time it was created by the advanced institutions of Germany and Great Britain. The system processes and interprets the data that the aircraft receives from laser and radar equipment. It is she who is responsible for the release of false targets and sources of active interference. It also controls the passive means of protecting the aircraft. Containers with this equipment are located on the wing. A laser rangefinder with targeting function is also located on the wing tip.

Note that this fighter, in principle, has no internal compartments for weapons. They are replaced by hanging external nodes, which make it much easier to detectaircraft for enemy radar systems, but this way you can significantly expand the range of weapons used.

Specially for this fighter model, semi-conformal fuel tanks were designed and used.

In total, the aircraft has thirteen suspension nodes. They, as a rule, place up to four unguided rockets "Skyflash" (UK Air Force) or "Aspid" (Italian Air Force). They are placed in a slightly "recessed" position under the body of the aircraft. It is also allowed to carry two ASRAAM or AIM-9 small guided missiles. They are hung on knots under the wings.

In total, the aircraft can be equipped with ten air-to-air missiles, but in this case, the take-off weight of the machine should not exceed 18 tons. Three separate suspension units are provided for hanging additional fuel tanks. Note that the Typhoon multirole fighter is additionally equipped with a 27 mm automatic cannon manufactured by Mauser.

Bomb load

If it is planned to carry out strike operations on the ground, then seven external hardpoints can accommodate up to 6500 kilograms of bombs, as well as at least six guided air-to-air missiles. The combat radius can exceed a thousand kilometers. The lowest combat height for this fighter is considered to be 325 meters, the maximum is a kilometer. With full armament, the Typhoon fighter-bomber (its photo is in this material) can perform combat missions onfor three and a half hours.

Distribution of funds for production

In total, it was planned to produce 620 machines of this type. Since initially there were four states that expressed a desire to participate in the program, the aircraft were distributed among them, in accordance with the available production facilities.

Thus, factories in the UK undertook to assemble 232 Typhoons, in Germany they assembled 180 units, and Italy got 121 aircraft. The Spaniards, due to poor production conditions, were entrusted with assembling only 87 fighters. The first aircraft began to arrive in 2003. Great Britain also received the first fighters of this model at the same time, and some of them immediately went to the formation of the 17th squadron. In it, the aircraft were tested in the most thorough way. Oddly enough, the aircraft officially entered the EU Air Force only on July 1, 2005. In the first batch, 148 fighters were delivered, and all of them are still in service.

Already in 2002, the Austrian government expressed interest in purchasing 18 units of equipment, investing $2.55 billion in production at once. However, already in June 2007, due to the approaching crisis, the contract was revised: according to the new conditions, the Austrians wanted to get 15 aircraft already, and in a more “scarce” configuration. To date, similar agreements have been concluded with the UAE and a number of other customers. It is reported that EU factories should supply 707 fighters at once.

The agreement to start production of the second batch was signed on December 14, 2004. The first aircraft of this tranche took to the air in 2008. Each Typhoon multirole fighter (photos of the machines are in the article) is fully accompanied by the manufacturer from release to the end of the warranty period.

Differences between modifications

Initially, it was believed that aircraft of this model would be used exclusively for combat against enemy aircraft. But after the start of the campaign in Afghanistan, they began to be actively used to suppress ground targets. By the way, did the Typhoon fighter operate against the MiG? Hardly. Yes, Soviet vehicles could remain in Afghanistan, but only by that time there was no longer a single pilot there who could take them into the air.

Modernized machines already in 2008 could rightly be called multifunctional fighters. They can be distinguished by the abbreviation FGR4 (if the name contains T3, this is a two-seat version of the aircraft). Before the new modification, all existing Typhoons were upgraded before the end of 2012. Currently, the Typhoon 5 fighter is being developed at full speed. Its characteristics are not yet known.

Improvements resulted in a significant strengthening of the landing gear, a completely new set of on-board equipment, including an improved avionics system. In addition, the air-to-ground weapon systems were significantly strengthened, which was dictated by the need for the aircraft to perform the functions of an attack aircraft. At the moment, negotiations are underway to create the third generation of these fighters. The EU countries have big plans for them: it is believed that in the UK alonebe at least 170 Typhoons by 2030.

In the third version, the aircraft will receive completely conformal fuel tanks, once again the on-board electronics will be completely replaced. More importantly, the fighter will be equipped with a more powerful power plant, as well as a radar station with a phased active antenna array.

But the most interesting is the Typhoon modification designed for the British Air Force (the Typhoon MK 1 fighter). In this version, the aircraft received completely new targeting systems and laser rangefinders, which were specially developed by the Israeli defense company Rafael. Bomb armament has also been significantly improved. Thus, the presence of guided bombs weighing 450 kilograms is provided. They are manufactured by the American corporation Raytheon. They have the ability to target by a laser beam, as well as a GPS-correction system.

Aircraft of the third and fourth series should tentatively enter service with the treaty countries and some buyers no earlier than 2017. It is assumed that the 5th generation Typhoon fighter should begin development around the same time.