08:03 GMT, July 2, 2008 United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force (RAF) has announced that its Eurofighter TYPHOON finally reached a long awaited milestone. During test flights at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada (U.S.) the aircraft was declared capable of carrying out ground attacks in addition to its original air defence role. Therefore its becoming the Service’s “most advanced multi-role aircraft.”

RAF officials explained: “The multi-role capability means that RAF TYPHOONs can now carry out precision ground attack or air defence tasks as required before take-off, but before long will become "swing-role", which means they will be able to alternate between roles within the same mission once airborne.”

Additional Equipment fitted to the TYPHOON for its air-to-ground capability includes the LITENING III laser designator pod which enables data to be downloaded to hand-held devices operated by forward air controllers on the ground. By seeing images via a link through the TYPHOON's pod, the controllers can guide pilots on to the targets, which can then be destroyed with „pinpoint accuracy“. The LITENING III designator pods come from UK based Ultra Electronics Holding with LITENING designer RAFAEL (Israel) acting as principal sub-contractor.

"I was able to track a car from high altitude, with the pod automatically following it as it stopped, started and travelled around bends in the road. During the Exercise Typhoon proved that it is an excellent ground-attack aircraft. The ability to deploy freefall weapons as well as precision munitions is still a key capability because they can be delivered very quickly and fused to achieve a wide range of effects.” Gav Parker, Officer Commanding XI Sqn said. RAF’s Eurofighter TYPHOON is now able to drop Paveway 2, Enhanced Paveway 2 and freefall 1,000lb bombs.

The declaration of the capability was announced by Commander-in-Chief RAF Air Command, Air Chief Marshal Sir Clive Loader, who said:

"TYPHOON is the most operationally flexible and effective aircraft the RAF has ever operated. In addition to TYPHOON's current capability in the Air Defence role, it will allow us the ability to deliver a wide range of precision and non-precision weapons in the Ground Attack role wherever and whenever needed. It is most relevant to the threats we face today.”

"TYPHOON can now perform both roles and offers unparalleled combat persistence. During the recent trials it achieved virtually 100 percent serviceability. With a service life of many decades, TYPHOON's time to deploy as a multi-role combat aircraft is still to come but the important fact is that this new capability is an extra club in the RAF's golf bag."

“From today a number RAF TYPHOONs will be at operational readiness to deploy overseas if deemed necessary. There are no plans at present to deploy TYPHOON to Afghanistan or Iraq.” RAF officials stated.

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Background information:

The United Kingdom initially ordered 232 Eurofighter TYPHOONs from an European consortium including EADS, Alenia Aeronautica and BAE Systems in 1988. Until today it has taken delivery of 144 of the $134 million (85 million €) aircraft.

British officials are trying to reduce the number of upcoming aircraft (or delay their delivery) in order to create a larger financial scope for the intended acquisition of two aircraft carriers, Lockheed Martin’s JSF and additional armoured vehicles for its Army.

According to the British newspaper „The Harald“ pulling out of the Eurofighter contract would cost as much in penalty clause payments as simply allowing production to go ahead. The United Kingdom recently sold 72 of its assigned Eurofighter jets to Saudi Arabia in a deal worth $8.7 billion (5.5 billion €).