Eurofighter Typhoon

The Eurofighter multi-role aircraft, with the international name Typhoon in English and originally called EF2000, represents the most sophisticated and also the most expensive European combat type. It is the largest cooperation program, which followed the development of the previous European models Tornado and Jaguar, which showed that the path of sharing costs and capacities is possible in Europe and can lead to the creation of successful technology with domestic and export potential. However, the creation of the Eurofighter, associated with the close cooperation of several countries, was also reflected in the complex negotiation of final solutions. Politics played a greater role in its creation and service than in the case of any other machines. However, it was precisely the overlap into politics that allowed for a significant increase in the efficiency of European military cooperation and contributed to a large extent to the consolidation of the European aviation industry. Despite all the problems and the slow acquisition of key capabilities, a very effective type was created, which also attracted interest abroad. And the extent of its international cooperation enabled the industries of the countries involved to obtain development and production contracts for a period of three decades, thus stabilizing the European development and production base until the development of the sixth generation aircraft was completed. The Eurofighter was created at a time when the ATF competition for a fifth generation aircraft was already underway in the USA, the winner of which was the F-22A Raptor, and thanks to this, Europe fell behind the USA in technology. The development of the fifth generation of military aircraft was beyond the capacity, economic and political capabilities of European countries, so instead of the creation of a European type, the American F-35 aircraft were mass-introduced into service and they became practically the archetype of a modern combat aircraft. With the exception of Great Britain, which decided to expand its military-technological cooperation with the USA after leaving the European Union, the other countries involved in the Eurofighter project decided to take advantage of the timelessness of the aircraft classified as generation 4+ and continue to operate and purchase it simultaneously with the F-35. The role of the Eurofighter in the latest versions will therefore not differ from the role of the F-15Ex in the USA, as generation 4+ aircraft also have their place in the market. Their operation is therefore expected to be beyond the 2060 horizon, meaning they will be in service for half a century. Many critics describe the Eurofighter aircraft as technologically or conceptually outdated and therefore obsolete. However, such statements are more likely the result of ignorance of the technical solutions used in the aircraft and also of ignorance of the task. In many respects, the Eurofighter surpassed practically any competition in the world at the time of its introduction into service and in many respects it can be compared even with fifth-generation aircraft, although it is an aircraft with reduced, not suppressed, radar detection. The attributes of fifth-generation aircraft, such as the supercruise supersonic flight mode without the use of afterburner or the fusion of sensory data for a better situational overview, were already no different from the requirements set for the fifth generation at the time of the task, or even exceeded them. It would therefore be a mistake to consider this aircraft as outdated, because as training battles with foreign air forces have shown, the Eurofighter is capable of surpassing Russian and older American aircraft in many respects. And most importantly, if this aircraft were not brought to serial form and not widely introduced into service in Europe, the local aviation industry would lose its development capabilities. Plans to purchase aircraft from abroad would lead to a gradual decline in the level of the European aviation industry. Only thanks to the Eurofighter can Europe think of two sixth-generation aircraft projects at once, although their creation will certainly not be any easier than it was with the Eurofighter. The publication is A4 format, full-color on high-quality coated paper, V2 binding, 52 pages, many photos, color side views