The backbone of combat air
Typhoon will continue in operation with air forces across Europe and the Middle East well into the 2060s due to continuous investment by Eurofighter partners ensuring the aircraft remains at the forefront of combat air superiority. Typhoon is also powering economic value and growing sovereign industrial capability, securing more than 20,000 jobs and contributing £1.4bn to the UK economy in export sales, which has already returned more than double the UK's £12 billion investment back to the economy.
We are continually investing in Typhoon to maintain its cutting edge military capability, ensuring it remains the backbone of combat air, whilst developing and deploying technologies central to the next generation of the UK’s combat air capability – Tempest.
Securing the skies 24/7, 365
Every day, Typhoon secures the skies on Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) over more than 1.4m kilometres of sovereign air space in Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, and keeps a combined population of more than 257m people safe.
Over the past two years, 80% of operational air missions conducted by the Eurofighter partner nations have been actioned by Typhoon, with the jet also being regularly operated by air forces in the Middle East.
Its role providing a key role in NATO air policing protecting Europe’s eastern flank underlines operators’ confidence in Typhoon’s performance.
Typhoon: Contributing to the UK economy
When every second counts, technology that works matters
Our engineers ensure Typhoon has the capabilities that the Royal Air Force pilots need at times when they need to defend our nation. Pilots can have confidence that Typhoon is equipped with everything they need to carry out their job, from the latest weapons technologies to high-speed data links and advanced sensors.
But, the threat does not stop changing and nor does our ability to engineer the new technologies pilots of the future need. By bringing a game-changing new advanced radar, ECRS Mk 2, Typhoon pilots will be able to locate, identify and suppress enemy air defences, and gather huge amounts of new data, presented to them in a new Large Area Display cockpit giving complete situational awareness.
Together with technologies including the Striker II helmet, future data-driven weapons and enhanced sensors, we are developing and deploying the technologies which are at the heart of the UK’s future combat air ambitions.
The Eurofighter Programme
Eurofighter Typhoon is Europe’s largest collaborative defence programme, built on the strength of the four partner nations – Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK – and on Europe’s largest defence companies – Airbus Defence & Space, BAE Systems, and Leonardo. Together the Eurofighter supply chain supports 100,000 jobs across 400 European companies.
In the UK, we work with a network of partner companies to support the Eurofighter Typhoon programme, including Leonardo UK, Rolls Royce, MBDA and hundreds of SMEs up and down the length and breadth of the UK. Many of the same partners we are working with to deliver the next generation of UK combat air power – Tempest.