Jacko is talking balls as usual. With the current rate of inflation, there is no chance whatsoever of his 42 million pounds figure, which is based on figure several years ago btw. Think 60 million, or $180 million US dollars, for a non-stealth, non-bombing plane, non-carrier plane. Outside of Europe and countries that are too rich for their own good, cough Saudi Arabia, who's going to buy this ****e?
Furthermore, asking the Typhoon to do ground bombing is the equivalent of asking a showy prancer to move dirt on a hillside in Dartmoor. It just wouldn't do.
The EF is NOT stealth. When the Russian stealth jet comes out in 2015-2020, and the Asian ones past 2020, the EF would be consigned to the dustbin of history. Not bad, a 7 year gap between groundpounding IOC and obsolescence. That's return for 19 billion pounds of research alright.
And comparing it to the FRENCH Rafale as a means of argument is laughable. Just because a one legged cripple can bounce along faster than a guy with no legs and a skateboard doesn't mean he's going to win the Olympics of air battle.