Portal:Royal Air Force/Selected ship/9
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| Eurofighter Typhoon | |
|---|---|
 Typhoon T1 of 29 Squadron RAF |
|
| Type | Multirole fighter |
| Manufacturer | Eurofighter GmbH |
| Maiden flight | 27 March 1994 |
| Introduced | 2003 |
| Status | Operational |
| Primary users | Royal Air Force Luftwaffe Aeronautica Militare Italiana Spanish Air Force |
| Number built | 114 (as of February 2007) [1] |
| Developed from | British Aerospace EAP |
| Variants | Eurofighter Typhoon variants |
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine multi-role canard-delta strike fighter aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of European aerospace manufacturers through Eurofighter GmbH which was formed in 1986. However studies began as early as 1979 into what would become the Eurofighter Typhoon.
The series production of the Eurofighter Typhoon is now underway and the aircraft has formally entered service with the Italian Air Force and with the Spanish Air Force. 'Initial Operational Capability' is expected to be declared by Germany and the United Kingdom later this decade. Austria has purchased 18 Typhoons, while Saudi Arabia signed a contract on 18 August 2006 for 72 to be built by BAE Systems.
Development
- See also: Eurofighter Typhoon timeline.
The United Kingdom had identified a requirement for a new fighter as early as 1971. By 1979 the West German requirement for a new fighter had lead to the development of the TFK-90 concept.
