Typhoon flies with AESA

The subject of frequent speculation on here over the last couple of years, I can now reveal that the Eurofighter Typhoon has actually flown with the AESA model of the Captor radar, known as CAESAR, this is being promoted as an option for production towards the latter stages of tranche 2 production and onwards. The AESA scanner was flown on DA5 from Manching a couple of pictures can be seen on the Flight website.

[edit on 13-5-2007 by waynos]

this is great news finally typhoon is getting all the whizzbangs that will make it a great fighter and a icon of the flight for 21st century.

I think this will be the final nail in the Rafale's coffin IMHO.

It also may change the dynamic of the Japanese fighter contract if they are not offered the F-22

so saudi are getting AESA typhoons then

only reason this has been pushed IMO.

No they aren't, well, maybe one day. The Saudi Typhoons are going to be tranche 2 aircraft, identical to the RAF 's F2 standard. So identical in fact that the initial batch will be aircraft intended for the RAF but diverted to Saudi in order to allow earlier deliveries than would otherwise be the case, with the RAF making up its lost delivery slots later on.

The most realistic case for AESA on the Typhoon is as part of the Tranche 3 standard (which could yet also include TVC), this would likely enter RAF service as the F3 with retrofits to previously delivered Typhoons bringing them up top the same standard then being F2A's, if previous cases (Lightning, Jaguar, Tornado) are anything to go by.

Originally posted by FredT
I think this will be the final nail in the Rafale's coffin IMHO.

It also may change the dynamic of the Japanese fighter contract if they are not offered the F-22

i think your right
Last i looked the rafale wont get it untill 2012