Quote from the NAO Report:
"The Typhoon fighter aircraft is already fulfilling some key defence tasks but it is unlikely to reach its full potential as a multi-role aircraft until 2018, according to a National Audit Office report to Parliament. Getting full value for money from the significant investment in the project will depend on the MOD’s successfully progressing the delivery of multi-role capability so that the aircraft can be deployed when required and affordably."
Well theres a typical financial view in itself. The design driver and basic requirement for Typhoon (Eurofighter) was to deliver an air to air platform. Only the UK pushed the ground attack requirement during my time on the project. Initial OT quite rightly was to prove the spec compliance against what we asked for. Only in the mid "naughties" did the emphasis shift towards the swing role.
Requirements may shift but so does the financial memory!