Eurofigther Typhoon: Nota imperdible y larguísima
Hago un C&P de la nota que Spirit habia colgado en el viejo foro, estupenda nota que no podia faltar aca
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Eurofighter's plane finally comes in
by Michal Fiszer
Sep. 15, 2005
The Eurofighter Typhoon is finally reaching full operational service, with its Tranche 1 aircraft due to be delivered to customers by the end of this year. The Eurofighter program is one of the major European defense efforts and can be compared to the US F/A-22. Both aircraft have their roots in the Cold War, and both were initially developed with a focus on the air-to-air role. The Eurofighter Typhoon has been widely criticized in the press around the world. The program was cited for its long development cycle and high cost. But it must be remembered that state-of-the-art European technologies were integrated in the aircraft.
The Typhoon has all the capabilities typical for modern, fourth-generation fighters. It has a powerful radar of impressive range, target-tracking, and electronic-counter-countermeasures (ECCM) capabilities, as well as modern, beyond-visual-range (BVR) missiles. It will be equipped with an even more powerful, active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and longer-range BVR missiles in the form of Meteors. It also has tremendous maneuverability and dynamic flight characteristics in terms of acceleration, climb, and a wide flight envelope, which makes it a demanding enemy in a dogfight. The Typhoon will have a helmet-mounted display integrated in the subsequent tranches of aircraft, with agile air-to-air missiles slaved to the helmet cueing system. In an attack role, the aircraft will be able to perform standoff strikes against well-defended targets. It will be also able to engage ground targets with various types of weapons regardless of weather, day and night. Weapons load and combat radius are also high, enabling a considerable punch against a ground target, even deep inside enemy territory, suggesting potential usefulness as a suppression-of-enemy-air-defenses (SEAD) and anti-ship platform. The aircraft is also tailored to a network-centric warfare environment: it is equipped with a MIDS data-distribution system and three multifunction color displays. The pilot's workload has been reduced through the automation of many functions and by introduction of a direct-voice-input system together with hands-on-throttle-and-stick (HOTAS) controls.
But at the same time, the Typhoon has a relatively large radar cross-section (RCS) as compared to its peers. Some low-observability features were used but not to the extent employed on the F/A-22 Raptor or F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), or even the French Rafale. Detailed figures are classified, but an unofficial source says that the Typhoon has about a 1-square-meter RCS. Such a figure is quite a good achievement, since it is only about 0.13% of the RCS of the Su-27/30/35 and about 0.2% of the RCS of the MiG-29. However, it is significantly than the F/A-22's figure, which is reportedly in the region of 0.05 sq m. This is one point that brings much criticism to the aircraft. But it has to be considered that the balance between various features and capabilities is always a trade-off of one for the other.
All of the countries that will employ the Typhoon claim it is a multirole aircraft. However, the balance in air-to-air and air-to-ground emphasis is different for each. The UK is placing the greatest emphasis on the attack role. Spain sees both roles as roughly equal. Germany initially had placed greater emphasis on the air-to-air role, but as Tornado units are reduced in strength, the Typhoon will be required to carry a greater share of the strike load. Italy will use the Typhoon mainly as an air-defense fighter, with some attack capabilities to supplement its planned future acquisition of the JSF. And finally, the sole firm export customer at the time of this article, Austria, assigns pure air-defense and air-policing missions to its Typhoons and does not want any air-to-ground capabilities.
One common aspect for all "Eurofighter countries" is that potential enemies do not posses the most sophisticated military equipment, and "full stealthness" is not required to confront them. Comparatively simple and less costly radar-cross-section-reduction measures are deemed adequate, such as radar-absorbing materials (RAM) and management of electromagnetic, infrared, and noise signatures. There are other "non-stealth" engineering features to reduce detection: for example, the air intakes are shaped in such a way that the engines' compressor blades are not visible to enemy radars from the front. At the same time, to increase aircraft survivability, an advanced self-protection system was developed. It is also emphasized that, in the F/A-22 and F-35, a low RCS has been achieved at the cost of weapons-payload reduction, mostly due to the lack of external ordnance. One Typhoon representative said to the author: "What is the use of stealth if you don't have weapons?"
The Typhoon is a symbol of state-of-the-art European technology, the product of the European approach to combat aircraft, and an example of European cooperation, with all the resulting advantages and disadvantages. Eurofighter's order log book is currently set at 638 aircraft, and this is a respectable figure, especially when compared with Europe's other two fourth-generation fighters, not to mention Russian industry. Presently, only the US F-35 JSF is to be procured in larger numbers, although no contract for series production has been signed yet. The orders for the F/A-22 are also considerably lower -- down to 180 at the time of this writing -- and its export potential is next to zero, for a number of reasons, not the least of which is its shock-inducing $350-million sticker price. The Eurofighter consortium hopes to sell many aircraft to export customers, although some recent high-profile efforts have failed, such as in Singapore, or are uncertain, such as in Greece. Nevertheless, the market potential of the Typhoon is still high
Beginnings
The Typhoon's roots can be traced as back as to 1970, when the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) issued Air Staff Target (AST) 396 for a short-take-off/vertical-landing (STOVL) aircraft to replace Jaguars and Harriers in the attack role. In 1972, when the initial experiences of US operations in the Vietnam War were analyzed, a new requirement was issued in the form of AST 403, in which secondary air-superiority capabilities were added. The UK realized that development costs of the new aircraft might be too high, so it turned to Germany and France for cooperation. Already at that time, differences between the potential partners were obvious. France also wanted a Jaguar replacement but did not want fighter capabilities so as to create a competitor for its own Mirages. Germany wanted more of a fighter than a strike aircraft, since the country was concerned about a possible Warsaw Pact mass air attack against its territory and also because the Luftwaffe had just fielded new ground-attack aircraft: the Tornado and the Alpha Jet. Meanwhile, the RAF dropped its STOVL requirement, because it decided that it could defend its airbases and, thus, did not need a front-line aircraft that traded performance for the ability to operate from secondary strips. Only in 1979 were the conflicting requirements reconciled so that the three countries could conduct a two-year European Combat Fighter (ECF) study. British Aerospace (now BAE Systems, Warton UK), MBB (later DASA and now EADS, Munich, Germany) and Avions Marcel Dassault (now Dassault Aviation, Paris, France) were involved in the study from the industrial side. At the same time, the companies developed their own projects in parallel, such as the British P.106 and later P.110 and the German TKF-90. Finally, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of the UK decided to stop endless discussion, and her government allocated $143.5 million for an Experimental Aircraft Project (EAP) aimed at building a future-fighter-technology demonstrator. The program resulted in a prototype, which aerodynamically was very similar to the present Typhoon, except for the wing shape: the EAP had a double-swept delta, whereas the Typhoon would have a constant-swept delta.
In the early 1980s, the program accelerated, because the first information about new advanced Soviet air-superiority fighters, the Su-27 and MiG-29, reached the West. A new program, the Future European Fighter Aircraft (F/EFA), was agreed to, and requirements were again discussed. At this stage, France wanted to build a smaller aircraft suitable also for carrier operations, which was not a requirement for the other countries. Moreover, France wanted to lead the program on the basis of its experience in the development of supersonic fighter aircraft. France finally left the F/EFA program in 1985 and built its own technology demonstrator, the Rafale A (see "Storm Warning"). But, in the meantime, Italy and Spain joined the international effort, although disagreements continued. Germany and Italy, in the face of the introduction of the Tornado IDS, pursued mainly an air-defense and air-superiority fighter with no air-to-ground capabilities. Britain, despite the fact it was also introducing Tornados into service, wanted a multirole aircraft, and Spain did, too. But the program continued and the partners finally managed to agree. The Eurofighter consortium was established in June 1986.
According to an unofficial statement by a Eurofighter representative, the withdrawal of the French was a relief for the others, since this eliminated many conflicting requirements. The share between the involved companies was 33% for BAe, 33% for MBB, 21% for Aeritalia (now Alenia, Torino, Italy), and 13% for CASA (now EADS-CASA, Getafe, Spain). The balance refers to development of the aircraft. The production share is different and will be discussed later.
Final requirements for the EFA were issued by all four countries in November 1988. Later that same month, the four countries signed a full-scale development contract. Initially, nine prototypes were to be built, but the number was later reduced to seven. Construction of the prototypes started in late 1989, in the twilight of the Cold War, and in accordance with the requirements set at that time. The first prototype (DA1) was completed in May 1992, and the program seemed to be on track, although the Soviet Union was no more.
Eurofighter Prototypes
After extensive ground tests, simulations of the operation of the flight-control system, and system checks, the DA1 prototype built by DASA in Ottobrunn, Germany, flew on March 27, 1994. The DA2 second prototype built by BAe in Warton, UK, flew on April 6, 1994. The first two prototypes, both single-seaters, were powered by RB199 engines from Tornado aircraft and did not have radar or most of the avionics systems.
The flight-test program was conducted very carefully, with many ground simulations and tests. Despite that, one aircraft was lost, the two-seat DA6 on November 21, 2002, when both engines flamed out. Overall, the tests went relatively smoothly, and the technical problems typical for any sophisticated design were gradually solved.
Eurofighter Prototypes
Number Military No. Assembled First Flight Remarks
DA1 98+29 Ottobrunn March 27, 1994 Aerodynamic tests, single-seater
DA2 ZH588 Warton April 6, 1994 Aerodynamic tests, single-seater
DA3 MMX602 Torino June 4, 1995 Engine tests, stores-carrying tests, single-seater
DA4 ZH590 Warton March 4, 1997 Avionics and radar tests, two-seater
DA5 98+30 Ottobrunn Feb. 25, 1997 Radar and advanced avionics tests, flight-control tests, single-seater
DA6 XCE-16-01 Getafe Aug. 31, 1996 Two-seater systems tests; climatic tests; two-seater; lost on Nov. 21, 2002
DA7 MMX603 Torino Jan. 1, 1997 Weapons tests, single-seater
Later prototypes – DA4, DA5, and DA7 – were also used for various weapons tests. The first AIM-9 Sidewinder test occurred Dec. 14, 1997, and the first launch of an unguided AIM-120 AMRAAM took place two days later. The first guided test of an AIM-120 AMRAAM against two targets simultaneously occurred on March 15, 2005, which cleared the aircraft for the AIM-120B and AIM-120C-5. Tests of the AIM-132 ASRAAM were completed on June 15, 2005.
Although the tests did not present major problems, the political situation in the world did. The end of the Cold War caused major reconsideration of the whole Eurofighter program. In 1995, the countries involved cut back on the number of aircraft they required: Germany from 250 to 140 (later increased to 180, with the additional 40 to be procured after 2012), the UK from 250 to 232, Italy from 165 to 121, and Spain from 100 to 87. The share of production work for Eurofighter is set at 37% for the UK, 30% for Germany, 20% for Italy, and 13% for Spain.
Attack and Identification System (AIS)
All of the Typhoon's major sensors were integrated into a single Attack and Identification System (AIS). The AIS has been integrated with the use of the 1,000-Mbit/sec. STANAG 3910 optical data bus. A similar data bus has been used for navigation-avionics integration, while five 100-Mbit/sec. MilStd 1553 data buses were used to integrate other systems. The AIS mainly consists of the Captor radar, the Pirate infrared (IR) sensor, and the MIDS tactical data-exchange system, as well as associated processing systems. Two powerful computers based on Motorola 68020 processors are used in the AIS: the Avionics Computer (AC) and the Navigation Computer (NC). Both fully exchange information between one another (i.e., data from the navigation computer are also used for attack solutions, and vice versa).
The $394.2-million contract for development of a production radar was awarded to the EuroRADAR consortium on March 16, 1989. It was initially known as the ECR-90, and the production unit was called the "C-Model," as is common practice in the British defense industry. In September 2000, the radar was named Captor. The first production Captor radar was delivered in March 2001. At the same time, the development example of Captor radar successfully flew in Germany on aircraft DA5.
The DASS for Spain's Typhoons will include all of the systems, save the laser-warning receiver. However, inclusion of the laser warner is still under consideration.
The Captor is a multimode radar, working in the I/J-band frequency range (8-12 GHz). It has a mechanically steered, grooved, flat (planar) metal antenna, with a diameter of 70 cm. Four electrical servos are used for quick antenna movements horizontally and vertically. The selection of a mechanical scan over a passive electronically scanned antenna was made, because it was assessed that such a solution was proven, and an advanced mechanically scanned antenna could offer better performance than an early electronically scanned antenna. It is now expected that, in the future, the radar will receive an active electronically scanning array (AESA).
The 193-kg Captor is a modular design with 61 shop-replaceable units (SPUs) and six line-replaceable units (LRUs). The LRUs are the two receivers, two transmitters, the antenna, and the processor. The radar processor can perform three-billion operations per second and works with the use of ADA software compatible with MIL-STD 2167A. Three separate data-processing channels are used to enable the radar to perform various modes simultaneously. The radar can observe 60 degrees to the left and right horizontally (some sources claim 70 degrees), and the radar range is at least 160 km for targets with an RCS of 5 sq m. Large targets, such as transport aircraft, can be detected at distances of up to 300 km. The radar has several air-to-air modes in which high-, medium-, and low-pulse-repetition-frequency regimes are used. The available range of pulse-repetition-frequencies (PRFs) is from 1 to 20 KHz. Among the air-to-air modes are range-while-scan (RWS), track-while-scan (TWS), and velocity search (VS). All of the modes are used for BVR engagement with the use of AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles or, in the future, with the use of Meteors. In track-while-scan mode, 20 targets can be simultaneously tracked, and up to six (some sources says eight) can be simultaneously engaged. Range-while-scan is used for initial target detection, with the radar emitting at low PRF and high power. Velocity scan is used for prioritization of the targets detected, and the radar switches to medium PRF. Track-while-scan is the basic mode for air combat and engagement of enemy aircraft. Also, a single-target-track mode is available for engagement of a remote target at the edge of the missile's range. Additionally, the radar has a raid-assessment function that distinguishes individual targets within a group of targets, along with a non-cooperative recognition mode that evaluates target characteristics (counting engine-compressor blades, RCS measurement, etc.) to identify a type of aircraft. The Captor radar also has look-down/shoot-down capabilities. A unique radar feature is the ability to present returns on two multifunction displays in the cockpit, in the vertical and horizontal view, giving the pilot a three-dimensional situational picture.
Fin 1º parte
