Final work-up to Typhoon FGR.4

[_Benjamin_]

Sounds expensive.

Ben,

No, you're right. But 6 (or more) slimline JDAMs will do the trick just as well.
Advo

[Eagle402]

surely, Tiffy, that should be nit picking ??

Elegantly done Mostly Moderate. I was going to comment but didn't want to needle the lad....

[TiffyFGR4]

Ohhh teheheee, careful there, if you get much sharper you'll cut yourself...

So anyway...

Anyone here think that Typhoon should maybe get the Small Diameter Bomb / Small Smart Bomb in its inventory in the near future?

Just making friendly conversation. =)

[Backwards PLT]

As we are on friendly conversation, thought that I would point out that my earlier comment was a bit of banter, I am generally a Typhoon fan (even though they wouldn't give me a job!). I take your response as a good nibble rather than a proper bite!

So looking at the loadouts a proper question or 2. Presumably in the 6 GBUs, 6 AAMs, CL tank configuration there is no room for a pod? Kinda makes the GBUs pointless (oh noes gulf war I buddy lase again!). Still work for early days AI I guess with known tgts and EPWIIs.

So if the pod has to go on CL (does it?) that means to have decent fuel they need underwing tanks - does this reduce the load to 4 GBU16s/EPWIIs (plus AA stuff)? Can it fly in this config with 4 EPWIIIs? (I know not cleared yet).

Seems the problem is pod and CL tank are mutually exclusive which is a pity as I know the Typhoon still flies v nicely and goes a decent distance with the CL. Is this true? Can 2 AMRAAMs be dropped to allow more AG weapons?

As VK alluded to EPW4 on twin racks would be nice. Not sure what forward firing weapon, other than the gun, he wants though. Its not as if anyone would use rockets in this day and age!!!!!

[Truckkie]

As VK alluded to EPW4 on twin racks would be nice. Not sure what forward firing weapon, other than the gun, he wants though. Its not as if anyone would use rockets in this day and age!!!!!

Better look at some recent Harrier footage from Afghanistan then!

[West Coast]

Its not as if anyone would use rockets in this day and age!!!!!

I think those same words were uttered when the decision was made to leave the gun off the F4

[hulahoop7]

Centre line

I think you're right about the centre line being taken up by the pod, but if and when those conformal tanks get fitted another two wing stations will become available.

[Phochs3]

Truckkie - Do you think the Harrier would bother with CRV 7 if it had a gun?!

[FB11]

Phochs 3 .

Yes, we would.

The CRV-7 has a better damage mechanism and mitgates the requirement to take away the TERMA and SNIPER from the 2 stations a gun would be mounted.

The latest warhead on the CRV-7 outstrips the capability of a gun which requires a direct hit on the target, even with an HE round. (There's only so much poke you can put into a 27mm or even 30mm round to create frag effects.)

I'd like both but if I had to choose between a gun or CRV-7, the rockets win every time for the Afghanistan piece.

[Phochs3]

Agree that a gun pod that uses up pylons is a pain; that is a deficiency of the Harrier - a gun versus a Sniper pod is a crap trade!
GR7/9 aside, if a platform had an internal gun, would you put CRV 7 or Paveway IV on the spare pylons? I'm guessing ditch the rockets!

[BEagle]

I think those same words were uttered when the decision was made to leave the gun off the F4

Indeed so, Westie! And the USMC exchange-programme back seater on my F4 Operational Conversion Unit course gave us the full benefit of his personal opinion of that 'clever' idea!!

As you might well imagine...

[TiffyFGR4]

Backwards PLT, glad you didn't take it the wrong way, I said, pretty much the same thing once somewhere else & I almost got lynched for it hehe Didn't mean to wind people up though, it was just a innocent question, curious, you know. =) Shame they wouldn't give you a job though =( What kind of thing would you be doing if you got a job? May I ask? =)

Sorry to go off topic a bit...

"So looking at the loadouts a proper question or 2. Presumably in the 6 GBUs, 6 AAMs, CL tank configuration there is no room for a pod? Kinda makes the GBUs pointless (oh noes gulf war I buddy lase again!). Still work for early days AI I guess with known tgts and EPWIIs."

"So if the pod has to go on CL (does it?) that means to have decent fuel they need underwing tanks - does this reduce the load to 4 GBU16s/EPWIIs (plus AA stuff)? Can it fly in this config with 4 EPWIIIs? (I know not cleared yet)."

Good points.

Well for the first point you made, maybe they could have, a single drop tank, (Centre), six air to air missile & five LGB's. Sacrifice one LGB for the pod, thats still a decent load to carry for any fighter. And maybe his wingman can carry the six LGB's, six air to air missiles & a centre drop tank, and maybe the other guy can 'buddy lase'.

But I, kind of, always thought that Typhoon would have the pod on one of the AMRAAM/Meteor stores, front left. So it'd have the pod, three AMRAAM's/Meteor's, six LGB's, (Or any other A/G weapons they might want to add), two ASRAAM's, & a centre drop tank...And a gun of course.

But I think most Typhoon's will have two drop tanks, four LGB's, six air to air missiles & the pod on the centre store. Depends on the situation really...

I'm not 100% sure about this but, when all the planned weapons are in service, I think the standard load out on a FGR4 will be something like; two LGB's, two Storm Shadow cruise missiles, two SEAD missiles, two ASRAAM's, three Meteors, one laser pod & one drop tank, (Centre store). And the 27mm gun. If thats the case, then thats one hell of a load.

Then theres the RAPTOR, (Recce pod). Will that fit on the centre store of a Typhoon?....

[Safety_Helmut]

I'm not 100% sure about this but, when all the planned weapons are in service, I think the standard load out on a FGR4 will be something like; two LGB's, two Storm Shadow cruise missiles, two SEAD missiles, two ASRAAM's, three Meteors, one laser pod & one drop tank, (Centre store). And the 27mm gun. If thats the case, then thats one hell of a load.

yeah right, what planet do you live on Tiffy ?

S_H

[TiffyFGR4]

Like I said, not a 100% sure. I didn't say it was though.......=/

[hulahoop7]

tiffy

I think you need to do a bit more reading tiffy, start with newton.

[TiffyFGR4]

Maybe I should. But when I read about something like this, this was quite a few years ago now, long before Typhoon was operational, maybe I read it wrong back then, thinking now I did, guess I'm wrong. Quite alot of different sources say quite alot of different things, hence why I said I'm not 100% sure the first time.

So like I say, I guess I'm wrong, put my hands up.

Something some of you maybe interested in:

Eurofighter Typhoon -

[theron]

thanks for that link! its really informative! if you click on the picture there is a 5 page pdf article with lots of images giving us a good idea of the possible loadouts.

[TiffyFGR4]

You're welcome =)

I'll have to wait for that five page article because it doesn't work for me right now. =( I'm sure it'd be well worth the wait though, Air Forces Monthly always have great news of whats going on, reading about it will keep me busy at work on that day....Customers that want to buy a guitar or whatever will just have to wait hehehe

Theron, thanks, you've just reminded me about something there, I have a Air Internantional magazine, and with it there was a free magazine about the Typhoon, telling you pretty much what its been doing from day one up until late 2007, it has an weapons option diagram showing the range of weapons loads for different roles. Not sure if its the same as what you've seen though. But this is what it says. (Not my words).

Air Superiority:
6 BVRAAM
2 SRAAM
27mm Mauser
3x 1000L fuel tanks

Interdiction/Strike:
4 laser/GPS guided bombs
4 BVRAAM
2 SRAAM
27mm Mauser
1 LDP
2x 1000L fuel tanks

Suppression and destruction of enemy air defence:
2 laser/GPS guided bombs
2 harm
4 BVRAAM
2 SRAAM
27mm mauser
1 LDP
2x 1000L fuel tanks

Multi-Role/Swing-Role:
2 Stand-Off missiles
4 laser/GPS guided bombs
4 BRAAM
2 SRAAAM
27mm mauser
1x 1000L fuel tank

Close air support:
18 anti-armour missiles
4 BVRAAM
2 SRAAM
27mm mauser
1x 1000L fuel tank

Maritime attack:
4 anti-ship missiles
4 BVRAAM
2 SRAAM
27mm mauser
3x 1000L fuel tanks

[Stitchbitch]

Can't see them carrying four LGBs to go penguin plinking
Why HARM in the air defences suppression bit and not ALARM? Has ALARM gone the way of the dodo?

Anyone notice that the wheels are visible in the first two shots

[theron]

In the article the loadout information seems incomplete, not mentioning a lot of the munitions that you would expect it to use, it concentrates on the lgb side of things:

During Torpedo Focus and Green Flag West, RAF Typhoons carried stores and weapons in one of three configurations.
» General ‘dry’ fit – two under wing fuel tanks, a Litening III targeting pod carried on the centreline station, and no weapons.
» Self-designation attack – a Litening III targeting pod carried on the centreline station, and up to six Paveway II laser-guided bombs.
» Co-operative attack – a fuel tank carried on the centreline station, and up to six Paveway II laser-guided bombs.

if it takes 2 wing tanks and a tgp then it can "only" take a maximum of four 1000lb bombs with a few spare stations for a-a missiles, which is pretty good for a multirole fj.

i would expect the current default loadout to consist of at least 2 wing tanks due to the way conflicts are going, in order to maximise time on station, plus how often are more than eight 1000lb bombs required by a 2 ship CAS flight?

im guessing that they were testing the Paveway II rather than the III for economic rather than capability reasons?