🔴 COLOSAL! EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON VS F-35
Video from the channel Avances España about Eurofighter Typhoon, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 26:11. Language: Spanish. Video type: News.
What is announced
The video analyses the debate over the replacement for the Spanish Air Force's F-18 Hornets. It narrows the real options down to two: the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II and the Eurofighter EF2000 Typhoon, which Spain already has in service. It also reviews alternatives it rules out, such as the Gripen NG, the Rafale, the Super Hornet and the F-15 Eagle. It concludes that the F-35 is superior and would be the Air Force's preferred option, although it expects the decision to depend on political and industrial pressures.
Background
The narrator places the turning point of the debate in Germany. That country needed to replace its Tornado strike aircraft and opted for an upgraded version of the Eurofighter, with an AESA radar on a swashplate mount, conformal tanks and more powerful EJ200 engines. At the same time it is developing the FCAS programme with Dassault, whose fighter is expected to enter service around 2035. The video defends the F-35 against the usual criticisms. It compares its development problems with those of the F-4 Phantom, the F-15, the F-14 and the V-22 Osprey. It also includes the opinion of Lieutenant Colonel David Berke on situational awareness and sensor fusion, and describes the aircraft's main systems: the AN/APG-81 radar, the EOTS, electronic warfare and the DAS. As an example it cites the US Navy, which combines F-35s with upgraded Super Hornets. For the Eurofighter, it highlights sales in the Middle East: 72 aircraft to Saudi Arabia in 2006 and a later contract for another 48, plus orders from Oman (12), Kuwait (28) and Qatar (24).
What it implies
According to the analysis, betting solely on the EF2000 would simplify logistics but would leave Spain with a single model and no stealth capability. The F-35, on the other hand, is expensive to maintain and requires new munitions for its internal bay. The video's proposal is a mixed fleet in which between 24 and 36 F-35s act as the spearhead while the Eurofighters remain in service. For the Navy, the F-35B would be the only option to replace the Harriers, and the video estimates a purchase of between 12 and 15 units.