Before the German MoD confirmed that the F-35 was officially out of the running, Reuters on Thursday reported that the ministry was considering splitting the buy between the Typhoon and either the F-35 or Super Hornet. However, it is a highly capable defensive aids suite, with greater strength on the ECM area of the ESM/ECM/ECCM EW triad compared to Typhoon’s DAS which is notable in the quality of its ESM (passive detection, ID and tracking of threats). Brimstone’s smaller size also allows more weapons to be carried per aircraft, with three per hardpoint on adaptors. From the cocaine, blood and flying scarves of World War One dogfighting to the dark arts of modern air combat, here is an enthralling ode to these brutally exciting killing machines. The UK’s new Britecloud active radar ‘chaff’ countermeasures are another area where Typhoon is potentially somewhat in the lead on DAS features. I guess it would take a lot of money to upgrade them to the latest version? “With common DNA in terms of initial development and requirements setting work before France spilt away from what became the Eurofighter consortium to develop the Rafale, it is unsurprising that both aircraft have relatively similar design philosophies compared to their competitors globally. With heavy loads, however, Rafale performs significantly better than Typhoon across the almost the entire performance envelope, having been designed from the outset to incorporate heavy multirole loads. Both Typhoon and Rafale can launch capable standoff cruise missiles in the shape of the Storm Shadow/SCALP and Taurus KEPD 350. All information comes from wikipedia.org, cia.gov, icanw.org, government websites and press releases. I would say this has to be counted as the definitive Rafale v Typhoon comparison for the early 2020s. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The UK’s Typhoons in particular are more closely integrated with the USAF air dominance community than (any) other fighter arm so have more practice in getting the most out of cooperative engagements with F-22s in realistic training scenarios. Eurofighter Typhoon is one of the worlds most advanced new generation multi-role/swing-role combat aircraft available on the market. There’s a reason (beyond the undoubted inefficiencies and concurrency) why the US have had to put nearly half a trillion dollars into the F-35 programme to date, mostly aimed at getting the nightmarishly ambitious and complex software architecture to work. A look into art and culture’s love affair with the aeroplane. It’s worth noting that despite complaints about the cost of keeping the aging Tornados flying, keeping around a certain number of them has always been under consideration — a painful, but not impossible, proposition among some defense experts. By dint of being complex multi role single seat (in most cases) fighters, the HOTAS controls are fairly intimidating to someone used to a US teen series (or my DCS A-10C/F-16 HOTAS), but once mastered are extremely comprehensive. Owner of this site is not responsible for potential mistakes or lacks of data. Typhoon comes with one or two TRDs mounted in a wingtip pod as standard, with specific version dependent on operator choices. German officials later tried to distance themselves from Muellner’s F-35 preference. Price: $11.99 + $6.99 shipping: This fits your . However, those will not be in service for several years so are not included here. Both fighters are fairly expensive to operate compared to solutions such as Gripen or F-16 on a one-for-one basis, being large, complex, twin engined beasts. For reference the German/Spanish ‘Radar 1’ standard will add further capabilities and the UK’s ECRS2 version will be a different beast entirely with advanced ground mapping, GMTI and EW capabilities in addition to traditional AESA functions. If you’ve enjoyed an article please donate here. The wartime load-out for Typhoon would by four Meteor in semi-recessed fuselage mounts plus four ASRAAM/IRIS-T although in practice a mix of Meteor and AMRAAM might be chosen for additional tactical flexibility and stockpile management. (RBE2 likely to still beat Radar 0 upon IOC due to more mature system and HMI). Pre-order your copy now right here. However, as a rule Rafale is probably slightly cheaper in real terms to acquire than Typhoon. The exact cost per flight hour (a hugely contentious topic anyway) will depend greatly on which operator and which version you are looking at. TOPGUN instructor (and former F-14/F/A-18 crew) assesses Tomcat versus Meteor-armed Typhoon fight & list top 5 BVR fighters 2020 here. That is especially the case for the nuclear mission. His article provoked a huge response from readers around the world. Some points to be corrected: The UK’s much more ambitious (and now funded) ECRS2 promises a massive leap in AESA capability with areas of advantage even over the latest US AESAs, but is so far only likely to be integrated onto the 40 Tranche 3s, with the fate of the 67 Tranche 2s less certain in that regard. – In Recce, Rafale has the dedicated Reco NG pod. Both are devastating revolver cannons with selectable rates of fire. German defense officials on Thursday evening stressed that no decisions had been made besides reducing the playing field to the FA-18 and the Eurofighter Typhoon. Rowland White, author of the best-selling ‘Vulcan 607’, I’ve selected the richest juiciest cuts of Hush-Kit, added a huge slab of new unpublished material, and with Unbound, I want to create a beautiful coffee-table book. For export operators, things are much more dependent on fleet size and support contract structures than the differences between each aircraft type. There is less than 5% difference. “If you have any interest in aviation, you’ll be surprised, entertained and fascinated by Hush-Kit – the world’s best aviation blog”. Both Typhoon and Rafale lack a commonly carried anti-radiation missile, although modern AAM such as AMRAAM and Meteor can be assumed to have a certain degree of ARM capability in extremis. In practice, there is little to choose between them, I pity the enemy shot at by either. I think that is now enabled. 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Rafale operating costs and availability likewise varies across standards and operators. eurofighter ; Derived terms * typhoon fifth Related terms * tycoon See also * cyclone * hurricane * tornado storm . In practice, both types depend to a large degree on tanker support for most operational missions. Finland will be an interesting result to watch, but I’m not sure either aircraft could be considered a favourite. Completely slicked off with no external stores or targeting pods, a Rafale would likely have a lower frontal RCS compared to a Typhoon, but in practice neither would be combat effective in this configuration. However, if talking about a ‘guns’ fight, then Rafale has better agility, instantaneous turn and sustained turn capabilities below around 15,000ft. While Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH co-ordinates the programme on Industry side, the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) acts as the single point of contact for customers and governments. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. The Indian standard Rafales come with a Towed Radar Decoy (TRD) but the French aircraft currently lack this feature. At higher altitudes, Typhoon’s greater specific excess power and decoupled canards give it a slight advantage, which increases as altitude increases above 45,000ft. – In A2G, India ordered SPICE glide bombs for Rafale The Eurofighter project survived the collapse of defense spending at the end of the Cold War, with a prototype first flying in 1994. Rafale improved since your 2015 assessment? In terms of load carrying capacity, ECM, subsonic agility, low and medium altitude WVR performance and cost Rafale F3R would also likely still come out ahead of a Tranche 2 or 3 P3E standard Typhoon. How has Typhoon improved since your 2015 assessment?The multirole capabilities of the jet have matured drastically since 2015, especially as a result of the RAF’s Project Centurion programme which integrated Brimstone, full Paveway IV functionality and Storm Shadow, in addition to full Striker HMD exploitation and a number of other multirole enabling capabilities. The BK27 has slightly better muzzle velocity and ballistic properties whilst the GIAT has slightly better destructive effect due to its larger shell. In terms of energy regeneration, Typhoon has the edge by dint of a higher specific excess power. We went back to Justin Bronk and asked him to revisit this analysis to include half a decade’s worth of development and weapons integration which has now placed these two aircraft at the top of their game. The main argument is to keep European companies involved in building combat aircraft and, perhaps even more importantly, staying clear of disturbing Franco-German momentum in armaments cooperation. Which aircraft has a superior infra-red search and track system and why? Engaging Top (and bottom) 10s including: Greatest fighter aircraft of World War II, Worst British aircraft, Worst Soviet aircraft and many more insanely specific ones. It only takes a moment. Typhoon export users employ the Damocles pod (Saudi Arabia) and the Sniper pod (Kuwait). Which aircraft would fare better against the Flanker family and other aircraft likely to be flown by near-peer competitors such as the Chinese J-10 family? Both include the RBE2 although it is likely to be an export standard that is slightly de-tuned compared to French aircraft. Related to (l). Typhoon (Tranche 2 and 3)’s main strike armament of Paveway IV, Brimstone and Storm Shadow give it world-leading high-precision, low-collateral damage tools for most ground targets. Both can use third party target data to launch Meteor without active radar scanning by the launch aircraft, and both can hand off guidance in flight to other friendly assets. Depends on altitude and speed. – In Range, the Eurofighter’s LPD takes up a wet point I’m not 100% sure if Rafale can now use the full two-way datalink functionality on Meteor. In fact, the Eurofighter is the only modern Western fighter that still has such a radar, because older fighters like the F-15, F-16, and F/A-18 have already been refitted with AESAs. I asked a Eurofighter pilot about this and I’m still not quite sure it’s a meaningful thing. The actual cost will depend on the govt-govt relationship and how many of the bells and whistles each customer wants to pay for. Support Hush-Kit with our high quality aviation themed merchandise here. What is the biggest difference in the philosophy of the designs? The drawback is extremely high munitions cost. The flip side is that both AMRAAM variants have advanced off-board guidance capabilities to allow passive engagements in cooperation with another aircraft in active mode. However, Brimstone is not designed to produce area effects or destroy structures, so for such targets the AASM family provides far more capability, especially with the larger ‘bomb’ body variants. MICA has slightly superior range to ASRAAM and significantly superior range to IRIS-T. All are highly agile and lethal missiles in a WVR engagement, with IRIS-T boasting the greatest knife fight agility, ASRAAM the best performance off the rail, and MICA the best reach. This is all relative, however, as both aircraft perform very similarly in most scenarios compared to other types. Germany’s decision appears to have been a surprise for F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin, which was not told by the ministry of the imminent announcement. US development efforts have emphasised these cooperative engagement capabilities (CEC) far more than French ones over the past two decades, and Typhoon benefits from that weapon heritage. F-35 is more economical, the Eurofighters twin engine will need more and mor https://www.defensenews.com © 2020 Sightline Media Group, Money Minute: Student loan repayment and consolidation. Deputy Defense Minister Ralf Brauksiepe stated in December that Berlin saw the Eurofighter Typhoon as the “primary” option for replacing the domestically-produced Panavia Tornado, whereas the F-15, F/A-18 and F-35 were merely “secondary choices.” ( Log Out /  Defensive aids SPECTRA has a better reputation primarily because of Libya in 2011 (a result of French political ambition and risk tolerance, alongside technical capability). Previously he served as managing editor for Defense News. Thank you very much. The Damocles pod has an advantage over Sniper and Lightning III in that it features an integral datalink capability to transfer reconnaissance and target data directly to other stations such as those found on French Air Force tankers. Recommended donation £15. Energy management/ ability to regenerate energy. Rafale has a superior ECM (electronic attack) capability in the shape of the SPECTRA suite allowing it more options to degrade the performance of hostile SAM radars if it needs to penetrate defended airspace. Highly experienced crews, full DAS and radar capabilities without export restrictions (and a nuclear missile capability). With external pylons, tanks, weapons and pods, both have a sufficient RCS to be detected at long ranges by modern sensors such as the Irbis-E on the Su-35 and Chinese AESAs on J-10C, J-16 or J-20, as well as ground based air defence radars. The solid well-researched information about aeroplanes is brilliantly combined with an irreverent attitude and real insight into the dangerous romantic world of combat aircraft. The GIAT has the advantage in maximum possible firing rate (of 2500rpm vs 1700rpm) although in practice both would likely fire at comparable rates for both air-to-air or air-to-ground use to make best use of very limited ammunition (125 rounds for Rafale, 150 for Typhoon). Typhoon’s habit of fighting at very high speeds and altitude for BVR engagements will result in a longer effective range on Meteor shots, but in practice there are almost no scenarios short of a full scale war with Russia where the rules of engagement would allow shots at such a range where that difference would tell. Typhoon is happiest at 50,000ft and above. Typhoon has to make do with a less than fully optimised TAC-R pod as the RAPTOR pod fitted to Tornado GR.4 was not integrated when the latter was retired – in part because of centreline store size limitations on Typhoon due to the front landing gear leg placement. COLOGNE, Germany ― Germany’s Ministry of Defence has officially ruled out the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as a choice to replace its aging Tornado … Bearing in mind that the Gripen can take off AND land in 600m, be refueled and rearmed in ten minutes by 1 technician and 5 conscripts, and can operate f The Tornado still is a kickass aircraft, and many of the technologies now present in the Eurofighter Typhoon were first deployed in the Tornado. Rewards levels include these packs of specially produced trump cards. Between 15,000 and around 30,000ft the relative merits will depend on speed range, as if the Typhoon might start with an advantage in a supersonic merge but Rafale would improve relatively as speeds drop during a long engagement. F-35 vs. Eurofighter Typhoon: Which Fighter Will Dominate? This is a significant advantage over Typhoon in the TAC-R role. Etymology 1 From (etyl) storm, from (etyl) . Also Damocles is replaced by TALIOS as part of F3R. However, an RAF standard Tranche 3 Typhoon would likely come out ahead on BVR performance, interceptor missions (due to extreme rate of climb and performance), ESM, terminal countermeasures and low-collateral strike capabilities. Eurofighter Typhoon is the only fighter to offer wide-ranging operational capabilities whilst at the same time delivering unparalleled fleet effectiveness. The German/Spanish Radar 1 order will, however, mean that there are a large number of AESA equipped Typhoons in service by the mid-2020s with all the Quadriga and Tornado replacement Typhoons to feature the capability. PIRATE is a genuinely exceptional IRST, although for years shortages of spare parts limited its use by various frontline squadrons. Maritime attack RBE2 again due to advantages of AESA array plus a more mature maritime attack mode with Exocet integrated. Typhoon has anti-ship munition options but no current operators use them. The German air force has settled on replacements for its aging Panavia Tornado fleet, agreeing to buy Eurofighter Typhoons and Boeing F/A-18E/F Hornets in both Super Hornet and Growler configurations. COLOGNE, Germany — The race between Boeing’s F-18 jet and the Airbus Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft to replace Germany’s Tornado fighter-bombers has … This means that the Rafale will continue to improve, especially in the EW and sensor fusion department throughout the 2020s. In 2006, it was announced that, in addition to Saudi Arabia's contract to purchase the Eurofighter Typhoon, both the Tornado IDS and ADV fleets would undergo a £2.5 billion program of upgrades, allowing them to remain in service to at least 2020. The GR4 is also equipped with Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for Tornado (Raptor), a sensor that is capable of taking highly detailed images day or night. The Typhoon was conceived from the start of the project as a collaborative venture by several European countries under the Eurofighter GmbH consortium. However, the Hornets will need a new certification to wield … English. Cockpit layout/man-machine interfaceBoth aircraft have similar cockpit layouts in most respects, with three large main multifunction colour displays capable of significant customisation to suit individual pilot preferences in the latest versions. NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management … The Indian standard does feature some impressive additions including additional podded electronic warfare capabilities and TRD, whilst the Qatari standard features the new HMD. The Typhoon has an advantage in terms of a mature helmet mounted display (HMD) system in the form of the Striker helmet, and an extremely advanced follow on (the Striker II) is well into testing with integral night vision, multi role visual/voice target designation capabilities and other advancements. At time of writing the following comparisons would be for the latest F3R Standard Rafale with the RBE2 AESA radar vs a Typhoon FGR.4 in UK service with the CAPTOR-M. Typhoon with the PIRATE system is significantly ahead of the legacy Rafale IRST. Justin Bronk is a Research Fellow of Military Sciences at the Royal United Services Institute and Editor of RUSI Defence Systems. ... (Isis) fighters have been left to 30-year-old Tornado jets. Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH is made up of the major aerospace companies from the four Eurofighter Typhoon partner nations. A pilot from either of those two fighters would find little out of place or unfamiliar in terms of cockpit layout, although the internal menus and system logic may be different from what they are used to. They have a healthy respect for them. He is based in Cologne, Germany. “There does not have to be a nuclear Tornado replacement,” Karl-Heinz Kamp, president of the government think tank Federal Academy for Security Policy, told Defense News in August. However, the biggest win in recent years is for Typhoon from Germany for both the Quadriga-standard replacement order for the Tranche 1s and also 90 aircraft to replace Germany’s Tornado fleet in the conventional strike role. In within-visual range combat, both Typhoon and Rafale would likely destroy each other in the merge in a 1v1 or 2v2. The Italian Air Force has recently begun training its first Eurofighter and Tornado pilots on the Alenia Aermacchi T-346A at Lecce airbase, in southeastern Italy. Rafale uses the Damocles targeting pod for light recce duties whilst RAF Typhoons use the Lightning III which also has limited FOV recon capabilities. It is still a brutal performer compared to most other fighters, but cannot match Typhoon’s climb rate and brute thrust especially at higher altitudes. CAPTOR-M (has the advantage) against larger targets such as bombers or MiG-31 ‘Foxhound’s due to a much larger aperture and generally higher altitude perch during air-to-air engagements. COLOGNE, Germany ― Germany’s Ministry of Defence has officially ruled out the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as a choice to replace its aging Tornado fleet, Defense News has learned. A great example is the Mig-29. The Rafale's Matra MICA missiles are modern dogfight missiles on par with the AIM-9X, IRIS-T, … The defence secretary has unveiled plans for a new RAF fighter jet, the Tempest, which will eventually replace the Eurofighter Typhoon. The lower the altitude, the greater Rafale’s margin of advantage; the higher one goes, the better Typhoon performs relatively. ( Log Out /  I will add an estimate in brackets for the Kuwaiti/Qatari standard Typhoon with the ‘Radar 0’ version of the CAPTOR-E AESA which is flying and enters service this year in Kuwait. By giving us your email, you are opting in to the Early Bird Brief. His article provoked a huge response from readers around the world. Unfortunately I haven’t had the opportunity to do the same with the French Air Force (hint hint mes amis!). Curious on what he bases his comments on instantaneous and sustained turn rate. (Radar 0 will out-range both against airborne targets). The Aerodynamic Modification Kit (AMK) developed by Eurofighter would address these limitations and greatly improve the instantaneous turn rate and agility at all speeds with heavy loads, but so far no operator has bought it – suggesting they are broadly satisfied with the aircraft as is. While the Eurofighter … Frankly, Switzerland should be flying Gripen C/D or possibly E/F given their national budget, neutrality and mission requirements and I’d wager anyone who looks at it from an operational requirements point of view would come to a similar conclusion. Low-observabilityBoth Rafale and Typhoon have low observable features but quite frankly neither is a low observable type. France’s AASM ‘Hammer’ series of glide and boosted bomb guidance kits gives Rafale a comparable capability to Paveway IV with a greater amount of warhead and range flexibility. The latter was deleted from the latest F3R standard aircraft pending an updated capability in the F4 standard jets, leaving a laser rangefinder/EO ball only. In terms of instantaneous turn rate, Rafale has a slight advantage in air combat configuration and that increases with heavier multirole or strike loads. In 2015, Research Fellow at the RUSI Think-tank Justin Bronk, compared Europe’s two middle-weight fighter aircraft, the Typhoon and Rafale,  The relatively subtle differences between these two superbly capable aircraft have inspired a great deal of heated debate, often poisoned by pride and nationalism. In practice, however, Typhoon users with Sniper or Lightning III can off-board data using the jet’s own datalinks. With the Centurion upgrades, Meteor integration and an extremely experienced user community both in terms of strike/multirole missions and air superiority, the RAF’s Tranche 3 Typhoons would edge out the Kuwaiti and Qatari aircraft in terms of operational capability, even though the latter feature the export version of the CAPTOR-E radar series. In that sense, both feature sensor fusion and represent a significant upgrade compared to legacy aircraft and previous Rafale and Typhoon standards. The Rafale was also designed from the outset as a nuclear delivery system, which was not a major consideration for the Eurofighter nations. Panavia Tornado VS Eurofighter Typhoon airplane Poster Home Decoration Printing Wall High quality Picture Print 20x30Inch by Wall Decor Master. Rafale is designed to excel at subsonic speeds and at lower altitudes. The biggest source of differences comes from the French requirement that the basic airframe design be suitable for CATOBAR carrier operations, which carries particular requirements in terms of relatively high-alpha, low speed handling especially with external stores still attached. The Panavia Tornado was created in the 1970s … As revolver cannons, both reach their maximum fire rate almost immediately. However, it could complicate logistics, adding more expense and forcing the German Air Force to maintain two supply chains. Typhoon is designed to excel in acceleration, climb rate and supersonic performance and agility at high altitudes for maximum beyond visual range capability. The Hush-Kit Book of Warplanes is a beautifully designed, highly visual, collection of the best articles from the fascinating world of military aviation –hand-picked from the highly acclaimed Hush-kit online magazine (and mixed with a heavy punch of new exclusive material). Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The MoD will request additional information from the respective manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, on the issues of operations, economic viability and timing, these officials said. I am surprised the Typhoons new Digital Stealth was not mentioned, it seems to be a world leading capability on Typhoon to counter, if not surpass the lack of static stealth in the air-frame. If fuselage fatigue isn’t an issue, I’d say it is perfectly valid even today, even without further upgrades, even for NATO countries. Which is doing better on the export market and why? I’m a bit surprised the RECO-NG pod was not mentioned in the Recce-Equipment section. What is the best Rafale variant today and why?That’s tricky to say. It is said that the Rafale would have an advantage in a dogfight below 10K feet and a Typhoon above, would you agree with this?