MANCHING, Germany – The German air force is buying another 20 Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role combat aircraft from Airbus under terms of a contract announced in mid-October worth 3.75 billion Euros -- or about $4.36 billion U.S. dollars.
Airbus will build the multi-role combat aircraft at its final assembly line in Manching, Germany. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery to the German air force in 2031, and the last in 2034, Airbus officials say.
Airbus will equip the 20 Eurofighters with sensors, such as electronic E-Scan radar; electronic warfare (EW) capabilities by integrating the Arexis sensor suite from Saab in Sweden, in existing and newly built aircraft. The Eurofighter also will operate with current and future crewed and uncrewed aircraft via tactical networking.
The Typhoon is fitted with the advanced European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2 radar from Leonardo UK sites in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Luton, England. This radar offers a wide field of view, target tracking, and EW tasks like electronic jamming while also conducting radar functions. This radar enhances the Typhoon's ability to locate, track, and deny enemy radar systems.
Passive infrared sensors
In addition to the radar, the Eurofighter has the Passive Infrared Airborne Track Equipment (PIRATE) system from the EuroFIRST consortium, led by Leonardo S.p.A. of Italy. PIRATE is a passive infrared sensor suite for target detection and simultaneous tracking of several airborne threats without RF emitters to enhance stealth capability.
The combat jet also has the Defensive Aids Sub-System (DASS) from the EuroDASS consortium of Leonardo in the United Kingdom, ELT Group in Italy,Hensoldt in Germany, and Indra in Spain. DASS integrates electronic support measures, countermeasures such as chaff and flares, radar warning receivers, laser warning receivers, missile approach warners, and the Ariel Mk IIa towed decoy system to provide threat detection and automatic defensive responses.
The Eurofighter's cockpit avionics uses a high-speed, secure, and jam-resistant Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) from the European EuroMIDS defense consortium of major European defense companies from France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. MIDS enables real-time data sharing with allied air, land, naval forces.
A BAE Systems digital fly-by-wire flight control system ensures agile and stable flight characteristics through quadruplex redundancy to manage the aircraft's intentionally unstable aerodynamics. Integrated sensor fusion combines inputs from radar, infrared, and EW sensors for pilot situational awareness and an updated battlefield picture.
Eurofighter electronic warfare
The EuroDASS Consortium Praetorian electronic warfare system supports active and passive electronic countermeasures, while the Eurofighter's Leonardo Ariel Mk II towed decoys deploy behind the aircraft on fiber-optic cables to divert radar-guided missiles. Automated responses include the deployment of chaff and flares, as well as active radar jamming to neutralize threats.
Leonardo leads development of more than 60 percent of the Eurofighter's onboard avionics, which includes mission planning, weapon control, and threat evaluation with real-time adaptability.
The Eurofighter secures more than 100,000 jobs in Europe, 25,000 of them in Germany, Airbus officials say. 120 German suppliers are involved in the program. The Eurofighter is planned to remain in service with the German Air Force until the 2060s. In the FCAS, which is scheduled to be operational from 2040.
For more information contact Airbus online at www.airbus.com/en/products-services/defence/military-aircraft/eurofighter, or the German air force at www.bundeswehr.de/en/organization/german-air-force.
