Eurofighter Typhoon Has a Two-Word Problem That Can’t Be Fixed

Those 2 Words – No Stealth: The Eurofighter Typhoon, known for its thrust-to-weight ratio and swing-role capability, boasts advanced weaponry like Storm Shadow cruise missiles and Brimstone II tank-killer munitions.

-It also carries laser-guided bombs and the Meteor air-to-air missile, enhancing its combat effectiveness.

-However, the Typhoon’s design lacks the stealth features found in 5th-generation aircraft like the F-35.

-Its external hardpoints, protruding shapes, and sharp angles make it more detectable to modern air defense systems.

-While the Typhoon remains a high-performance multirole jet, its inability to evade radar as effectively as stealthier aircraft could limit its survivability in contested environments.

Eurofighter Typhoon: High-Tech Weapons but Lacking Stealth?

The somewhat classic and highly regarded European Typhoon fighter has been upgraded in recent years with a new generation of long-range, air attack precision weaponry.

Yet, the upgrades have not given the aircraft the kind of stealth properties necessary to evade the newest deployed air defenses.

With external hardpoints and some sharp edges, the fuselage of the Typhoon does not appear to be blended in a stealthy way and operates with as many as 13 external hardpoints. The front of its fuselage includes an angled incline and is less like the smooth, blended exterior necessary to minimize a radar return rendering to enemy air defenses.

In recent years, the Eurofighter Typhoon has been armed with a high-tech weapon called Storm Shadow, a stealthy cruise missile used in 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom to destroy Sadaam’s bunkers.

The missile can function with a controlled detonation, a main warhead with a variable delay fuse, and a specially engineered double-charge explosive effect. This gives the missile an exceptional penetrating ability as it has the precision engineering to fire two cruise missiles through the same opening.

As far back as 2014 at the Farnborough air show, former UK Royal Air Force pilot Paul Smith and fighter weapons school instructor told Warrior Maven that the aircraft operates with multi-mode GPS and an inertial navigation precision guidance system called “terrain reference technology.”

Stealthy Typhoon?

The jet carries cruise missiles and weapons beneath the wings and operates with an internal weapons bay. However, the engine inlets, wings, and hardpoints have too many protruding shapes and sharp angles and contours, enabling electromagnetic pings from enemy radar to bounce off and deliver a clear return image.

With a more precise electromagnetic return, air defense systems are much better positioned to acquire an aircraft’s shape, size, speed, and configuration. A stealthy blended wing-body configuration and a smoother, less-angled fuselage make it difficult for enemy radar to acquire a clear, accurate electromagnetic return signal.

The B-2, for instance, is said to appear as though it is a bird to enemy radar in considerable measure due to the absence of sharp, protruding external structures much more likely to generate a return signal.

While not the complete blended wing-body of a B-2 bomber or 6th-gen image, the F-35 clearly operates with a stealthier configuration than the Typhoon, although it does have tails and protruding wings.

It does have a beast mode wherein it can load up with external weapons, yet the exterior of the F-35 is smooth, blended, and built with special bolts, seams, and radar-absorbing composite materials.

The Eurofighter Typhoon has been developing for years. Former pilot Paul Smith said it is known for its high-performing thrust-to-weight ratio, lightweight carbon fiber composite materials, and “swing-roll” capability.

High-Tech Eurofighter Typhoon Weapons

Along with 13 hardpoints and GPS and laser-guided bombs carried by the Typhoon, the jet can also attack with 2,000, 1,000, and 500-pound GBUs and the Paveway IV, a 500-pound laser-guided bomb.

The Typhoon enhancements have also included the addition of a short-range stand-off missile called Brimstone II. This precision-guided weapon has also been in service on the British Tornado aircraft.

Originally designed as a tank-killer weapon, Brimstone II is engineered with an all-weather, highly precise millimeter wave seeker. In Afghanistan many years ago, a Brimstone was used to destroy an Al Qaeda terrorist on a motorcycle traveling at 60km per hour.

Smith also told Warrior Maven that the Eurofighter was armed with a European missile called Meteor, which significantly increases what pilots refer to as the “no-escape range” – the distance or point at which an air-to-air adversary cannot fly away from or “escape” an approaching missile.

About the Author: Kris Osborn

Kris Osborn is the Military Technology Editor and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.