If it's fully combat ready, why isn't it going? Surely all those thrusting Typhoon squadron commanders must be chomping at the bit to get more medals and promotions? Isn't a relatively air-threat-free environment like Afghanistan the perfect place to do some advanced air-ground operational testing? So if it's not going to Afghanistan, it can only be because it's not actually ready....
It's still not exactly prudent to start comparing it too favourably to the F-18, which has been dropping an awful lot of PGMs over the years (and in its Super Hornet guise does carry a butt-load of fuel, JDAMs, HARMs, JSOWs, integrated ECM, integrated targeting pod, datalink, gun, AESA radar, buddy refuel pods etc etc). The trouble with the Typhoon is that its procurement has been a total farce and it struggles to get out from under that cloud. If you, for example, look at the Typhoon's procurement that ran a mere 4-5 years late and cost something like 4 times the original budget, you do look a bit daft when you compare it to the Super Hornet program that was on time, on budget, under weight and dropping its first bomb in combat 10 years after it was ordered - 6 years ago.
UK folk are rightfully proud of the girl, but if you have been flying a Tornado for the last 20 years, you would be impressed by an airplane that can go above 30k, turn corners, has 3 colour screens and one day will be a great multirole platform. Now, when it's got an AESA radar and a full inventory of air-ground weapons (not just one bomb and a gun), can buddy tank and has been on ops (and can land on a ship?), it will be much easier to compare it to the F18
