Anyway, back to Typhoon...
I believe Putin's posturing is just that and no more. Russia started getting too chummy with the West and lost its military and political edge. The US decided to poke the sleeping bear and announced an unecessary missile defence system in Eastern Europe, so Putin was given just the excuse he needed to reinvigorate the military. So, do we need Typhoon in the A/A role? Probably not right now, but Fitter2 has it right - who knows what threats we'll face in 15 years time? You can't just magic up an air defence capability as soon as a new threat emerges. As for the A/S role, I'd say we needed it yesterday. From what I hear, the Harrier Force is the definition of overstretch and I'd be surprised if the GRs got to Kandahar without leaving a trail of u/s airframes across the globe. Yes, Typhoon has turned into the most expensive political football of recent times, but let's not lose sight of the fact that it is (or at least will be) an extremely capable weapons system. And if the Taleban ever take to driving Bugattis, then Allah help them...