Eurofighter/BAE Navalised Typhoon (Rejected Concept)
Eurofighter/BAE Navalised Typhoon (Rejected Concept)
^ Navalised Typhoon in Indian Navy colours.
Introduction
Originally proposed in the late 1990s as a potential solution to the UK Royal Navy's need for a Future Carrier-Borne Aircraft (FCBA) for its new ('Queen Elizabeth' class) aircraft carriers in January 2001, the UK Ministry of Defence formally discounted the option of a Navalised Eurofighter for its new aircraft carriers, in favour of the STOVL ('B') variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which (at that time) promised to be a capable, low cost and more stealthy aircraft that would enter into service circa 2012 – a date that tied in well with the in-service date for the new UK aircraft Carriers as it stood at that time. It was rejected by the United Kingdom on "cost effectiveness grounds".
The navalised Eurofighter (also known as 'Sea Typhoon') remained only a proposal but there has was some interest expressed by other nations, such as India, in adapting Eurofighter for aircraft carrier operations.
The proposed variant design would have enabled the Eurofighter to operate from carriers on a Short Take-Off but Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) basis, using a 'ski jump' ramp for aircraft launch and arresting gear for conventional landing.
In February 2011, BAE debuted a navalised Typhoon in response to the Indian tender. The model offered was STOBAR capable, corresponding to the Indian Navy's future Vikrant class aircraft carrier. The changes needed to enable the Typhoon to launch by ski-jump and recover by arrestor hook added about 500 kg to the airframe. If the Indian Navy had pursued a catapult launch carrier, the Typhoon would have been uncompetitive against tender rivals (e.g. Rafale and Super Hornet) since meeting "... catapult requirements would add too much weight to the aircraft, blunt performance and add substantially to modification costs".
Re: Eurofighter/BAE Navalised Typhoon (Rejected Concept)
Images (C) Eurofighter
And add vectored thrust from Tranche 3 Typhoon:
And add vectored thrust from Tranche 3 Typhoon:
Re: Eurofighter/BAE Navalised Typhoon (Rejected Concept)
One big problem with a Sea Typhoon would have been the canards, as they are forward of the pilots vision, so carrier landings would have been tricky. On the Rafale, a similar design to the Typhoon, its canards aren't a problem as they are behind the pilot.
Perhaps Sea Typhoon's canards could have been made from some super-tough transparent material?!
Perhaps Sea Typhoon's canards could have been made from some super-tough transparent material?!
Re: Eurofighter/BAE Navalised Typhoon (Rejected Concept)
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Re: Eurofighter/BAE Navalised Typhoon (Rejected Concept)
^ Indeed. It was a jingoist's fantasy at best - no offence to those who liked/like the concept but it was always destined to be stillborn, not without good reason.
Re: Eurofighter/BAE Navalised Typhoon (Rejected Concept)
Perhaps the only way that could have been used for the carrier operations is with the helmet having similar abilities to the f35s ,giving the pilot the ability to "look through the plane" in other words having sensors beneath those canards for the pilot to have a good view of the approach.