Eurofighter Typhoon: The Machine That Defends Europe in Any Type of Mission!
Video from the channel War Machine about Eurofighter Typhoon, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 13:53. Language: Portuguese. Video type: Documentary.
What it's about
Portuguese-language documentary that covers the history, technical features and operational use of the Eurofighter Typhoon, the multirole fighter built by a European consortium for air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.
Historical context
The project was born in 1979, when British Aerospace and Messerschmitt pushed their governments towards a new-generation European fighter. Dassault joined in, but disagreements over leadership and German reunification delayed it. The production contract was signed in December 1997 by the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain. The first production aircraft flew on 13 February 2003 in Germany, and it entered service with the partner countries between 2003 and 2005.
Key facts
It is unstable in subsonic flight and can fly in supercruise. It is powered by two Eurojet EJ200 engines, each with 13,500 lb of dry thrust and about 20,000 lb with afterburner, giving it a speed of around 2,450 km/h, and each made up of 15 interchangeable modules. It carries the PIRATE passive infrared sensor, the Praetorian defensive system, a 27 mm Mauser BK-27 cannon and up to 12 external weapons, including Scalp and Brimstone. It has watched over the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy and has flown over Libya, Iraq and Syria. In the United Kingdom it covers Quick Reaction Alert (QRA), concentrated at Lossiemouth since 2014. A unit cost of around $90 million and a flight-hour cost of about £100,000 are cited, based on a 2009 estimate. It is also used by Austria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait, and it is expected to remain in service at least until 2040.