Why Is The Eurofighter Typhoon So Loud?
Video from the channel DaveHistory about Eurofighter Typhoon, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 8:22. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.
What it's about
Educational piece explaining why the Eurofighter Typhoon is so loud. It intersperses footage narrated at air shows where the aircraft performs turns at maximum rating up to +9 g.
Historical context
The video places the start of development in 1983, as a cooperative program between several countries, and entry into operational service in 2003. It presents it as a fighter still in service with numerous air forces.
Key facts
The noise comes mainly from its two low-bypass Eurojet EJ200 turbofans. Each delivers about 60 kN of thrust dry and about 90 kN with afterburner, around 180 kN total. The very hot, fast exhaust jet mixes violently with the surrounding air. The afterburner injects fuel behind the turbine and accelerates that jet even further. Airliners, by contrast, use high-bypass turbofans that move a lot of air at moderate speed and are quieter. The video adds other factors: the dry power that enables supercruise, the directionality of the noise in turns and climbs, and the abrupt power changes during displays. It also cites the sonic boom, which does not come from the engines but from shock waves, and the low-frequency energy felt as vibration in the chest.