The Eurofighter Typhoon program has proved to be a huge success for the European aerospace industry in terms of capability development and export success — is this set to continue?
EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON // INTRODUCTION
AS AIRBUS DEFENCE and Space looks towards a manned Future Combat Air System (FCAS) as a potential all-new fighter for the 2040 era, the value of maintaining a suitable industrial skills base in Europe cannot be underestimated. Whether it comes from FCAS, from partnerships in Turkey with its TF-X project, or as a future mid-life upgrade of the existing Eurofighter Typhoon, industry leaders are confident that a new European fighter could become a reality.
This partly stems from the success of Eurofighter, and its journey from concept to today’s reality offers valuable lessons. A four-nation European partnership was the only way that such a costly project could be realized, under the umbrella of the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA). While it ultimately delivered a large fleet of common aircraft, it also served as something of a millstone around the necks of those who sought to push the basic entry-into-service-standard Typhoon forward. It was perhaps inevitable that ind…
