When any fast jet enters service it begins with an initial set of capabilities which evolve over time. Initially slow, these enhancements accelerate to unleash the aircraft's full potential.
In the early stages of its service, Typhoon's upgrades focused on immediate operational needs and today it is on an exhilarating steep phase of its capability growth curve.
Typhoon today
Today, Typhoon is operated by nine air forces across Europe and the Middle East - and will add a tenth customer when it enters service in Turkiye - and has a reputation for capability, reliability and safety.
Its evolution has been driven by investments in its sensors, mission systems and weapons which have added to the agility and power it was designed with from Day One.
This is continuing with an advanced new radar. The European Common Radar System (ECRS) is already combat proven with air forces in Qatar and Kuwait and its next standard, ECRS Mk2, which is being developed by the UK, will bring cutting edge electronic attack.
It has gone from an air superiority fighter to a true multi-role aircraft equipped with weapons capability including Meteor, Brimstone and Storm Shadow. All of this makes it the choice to secure the skies over Europe.
Constantly evolving
The threats facing Typhoon today is driving the acceleration of its capabilities, maintaining its air superiority whilst countering sophisticated surface-to-air missiles and electronic warfare systems.
But, our work alongside the Royal Air Force to add a low cost precision weapon, APKWS, is offering an affordable solution to countering a new threat, Uncrewed Air Systems (UAS). By adding this alternative to the aircraft's formidable armoury, we are ensuring Typhoon is ready to meet this threat.
From concept to an initial firing trial took just six months and, having completed an initial air-to-surface it took less than two months to bring the weapon on to RAF Typhoons flying over the Middle East.
The speed at which our engineering teams delivered this initial capability - just six months from concept to initial firing - demonstrates our ability to respond at speed to our customer's demands.
The next generation
Together with our Eurofighter industry partners, Airbus and Leonardo, we have been investing in Typhoon, and in 2024 the core partner nations behind the aircraft, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, responded with investment to continue delivering.
BAE Systems engineers have rapidly developed a new mission computer with the capacity to handle huge volumes of data and process it 200 times faster, whilst also developing capability such as ECRS Mk2, integrating new weapons and ensuring interoperability with crewed and uncrewed aircraft.
Collectively this latest evolution is not only ensuring Typhoon remains a formidable adversary and force multiplier within a networked force.