Middle East Tiffys
 

Does the upgrade come with spare parts?

Have the steps been upgraded at al?:E

CG

Much of this now goes above my head (as a lot does). But it's good to see the aircraft approaching full fruition - with still lots of time to go. Are those on here who consider Tempest to be a viable prospect? If the Typhoon timescale is to be compared, then we're perhaps looking at an ISD of 2060?

One year on ... waiting for better ?
 

...
RAF Typhoon AESA radar upgrade ....... or NOT ?

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...ven-better-one

Qatar and Kuwait will, it seems, be first to have Eurofighters fitted with AESA.

Germany and Spain next.

Why doesn't the RAF just issue an RFP for a cloaking device and wait for that instead ... hmmmh Sergei ?

Some of the serious players seem to have AESAs on their AESAs already.

LFH
...

I assume as part of the upgrade activities there is a programme to replace or upgrade the pilot’s various helmets?

That would depend on what you need the helmet to do. The Striker line of helmets would be obvious, but then there’s the Gentex helmet for Euro users, UK Mil helmets for UK and UK overseas customers..then a night requirement...

As Stitchbitch notes, depends on (a) what the customer wants and (b) what they can afford - that is key. I'm sure industry is also looking at all sorts of ways to improve situational awareness and tactical advantage (there seems to be a good mindset out there these days) but, ultimately, what makes a project viable in Industry is what cash income to the company (whoever they are) is likely to see. No money in it = a dead programme. BTB - Blame The Bean-counters!!!

Re the comment by Lordflasheart on the apparent tardiness of the RAF to adopt AESA, while not privy to the state of AESA nor it's integration into the Weapon System, maybe letting others weather the unpredictability may not be so daft. Besides, with Centurion probably still smoothing itself out, I'd suspect breathing space at the Phoon Desk in the UK MoD is also welcome/necessary! :ok:

Just some idle thoughts! Cheers, H 'n' H

New Radar Anounced For Typhoon
 

Counter-drone tech and state-of-the-art radar for the RAF

RAF Typhoons are to be equipped with next generation radar thanks to a £317 million investment, Defence Minister Jeremy Quin today announced.

Published 3 September 2020From:Ministry of Defence

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/c...ar-for-the-raf

Some Good News...

A question from the cheap seats
 

A quick question from a slightly tipsy BV if I may?

Why does counter drone technology need to be on a fast jet? I’ll admit I haven’t fully absorbed the thrust of the article but don’t we have other platforms that might be better placed to take on the counter drone role?

BV

I think It is a badly drafted press release. The first part refers to AESA upgrade to the Typhoon and the second part refers to the counter drone technology, which is a ground-based system.

£317M... I guess that will be the Tranche 3 jets only then.

I wonder if the Typhoon DT in DE&S negotiated a stellar deal for 107 units at £2.96MM a piece inclusive of integration? Given the track record of procurement it sadly looks like it's just the T3A jets at £7.925MM each, which given T3A jets have the structures, power, and cooling requirements already embedded seems expensive. If memory serves, T2 aircraft only have the structural requirements so need a full retrofit programme.

https://www.defensenews.com/global/e...ronic-warfare/

Britain moves forward with its own Typhoon radar primed for electronic warfare

......The British plan to equip their 40-strong fleet of Typhoon Tranche 3 jets with the new radar but will decide at a later date whether to take up the option of fitting out the earlier Tranche 2 aircraft with the technology.......

The announcement of the next step in Britain’s intentions to go their own way with development of the Mk2 system comes just weeks after Typhoon national partners Germany and Spain revealed they were going ahead with the development and manufacture of the Hensoldt-led European Common Radar System Mk1 version.....

Although Britain and its partners have undertaken substantial work together on common AESA development work through the Euroradar consortium, the Mk2 is effectively a completely different product from the Mk1 forward of the common power supply......

Seems a bit of a terrible idea to have 2 fleets within a fleet. I assume tactics would change based on the new RADAR and so training will become ever more complicated...

The haves and the have nots.
 

Surely those without the AESA radar will still get the link picture from those with the new toy? Maybe things won’t need to change too much.

I’m just spitballing and not too invested.

BV

All this Management Bo££ocks of Tranches; just give them different Mark numbers/sub type letters ffs....... (yes, I'm having a Bad Day!)

You buy in tranches - you can buy three tranches of identical models/marks.

But they were never identical to begin with,and if they have different mark numbers it might make it bit easier. After all, they are throwing mark numbers at the Chinook force like they are going out of fashion, and there is more commonality between them than there is between T1 and T3 Typhoons. which are all FGR.4s.