Typhoon jets currently deployed in Romania recently participated in ‘Dissimilar Air Combat Training’ with the Greek air force.
The Royal Air Force say here that the training, which took place over Romania, saw two RAF Typhoons undertake Dissimilar Air Combat Training with two Hellenic Air Force F-16s, supported by a Voyager tanker from 903 Expeditionary Air Wing based out of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
“This type of training improves interoperability and provides an opportunity for pilots on both sides to test the capabilities of their respective platforms.”
Fight Lieutenant Whatmough, 3(F) Squadron Pilot, was quoted as saying:
“Training with the Hellenic Air Force and their F-16 aircraft has provided 3(F)Sqn with some fantastic opportunities to once again explore the capabilities of Typhoon alongside our NATO partners. This flight brings an end to the multinational exercises conducted during Op BILOXI 22. The training we’ve undertaken has been invaluable in ensuring the Pilots, Ground Crew and Aerospace Battle Managers gain the experience required to maintain Operational Capability.”
The Royal Air Force adds that “over the course of the 4-month deployment to Romania, alongside carrying out the NATO enhanced Air Policing and enhanced Vigilance Activity missions, the Typhoons from 3(F) Squadron have conducted several bilateral training serials with multiple NATO nations”.
I dunno- the Gloster Meteor was advanced for its time but it’s starting to look a bit long in the tooth…
😂 There’s always one Jay!
I won’t mention the Typhoons then, just thankful Tornados didn’t even enter the equation…
I think he means the meteor weapon for the typhoon
Yes, though beauty of the Eurofighter is its almost matching the F-22 in air interception with better weapons, radar of equal performance and nearly as good dogfighting and its RCS is pretty good at 1m to the F-22’s 0.5m to 0.1m depending on viewing angle (Russia’s best planes have RCS of 6m and 10m) but is an order of magnitude better in ground attack making it a much more flexible platform.
The exact RCS of these are still classified but the figure I often seen quoted from open sources for the F-22 is actually 0.0001~0.0002 sqm depending on viewing angle.
Yeah that figures bull that people pull out of their arse, its smaller than an insect and naturally impossible considering a decent radar can track them upto about 20km distance (which is itself pretty good, would have to practically fly right over the radar/be in visual range to be picked up).
From what I read from US sources too if a Typhoon ever got close enough to dogfight it Would win more often than not. Getting there is the problem, it will be interesting to see how the new radar combined with Meteor will offer in that regard, spotting is one thing (even civilian radars might vaguely do that) but targeting a F22/F35 is the real problem but I do wonder when you have a weapon like Meteor if there are ways to enhance that probability when you can test against them.
Is the RCS you quote for the Typhoon “clean” or armed for bear?
And when armed for bear it has the the ability to carry far more missiles
I may when the performance factors of the AIM-260 are announced.
Treasury is working on approving a new export credit package for Ukraine giving them an addition £2.3bn of credit for UK arms purchases and £700m for reconstruction projects. This is on top of their existing £3bn UK export financing mainly used for the ship deal that sold them a frigate and missile armed patrol boats.
Treasury backs £3bn export finance package for war-torn Ukraine | Business News | Sky News
Typhoon has obviously gone through varying degrees of upgrades to the type over time, has the F22 had similar upgrade packages to existing airframes or is the program completely classified?
The F-22 Is Finally Getting Some Much Needed Upgrades – The Aviationist
F-22 And F-35 Datalinks Finally Talk Freely With Each Other Thanks To A U-2 Flying Translator (thedrive.com)
The F35 will be a headache for Typhoon pilots with it’s stealth and sensor capability. But it’s on our side, so not a concern.
I would add a serious question mark against the capability of J20. It might look stealth, but its avionics will be a generation behind if not more compared to F35. Engines even further behind. I’d fancy an F15C against one of these, let alone F35, F22 or Typhoons.
who knows with the Chinese stuff. Hopefully the uk never has to find out. Any kind of invasion of Chinese mainland is an impossible task for the uk to even think about. So that leaves a Chinese expeditionary force in some location it’s invaded to contend with. With that it also depends how far away that location is from mainland China and how far in the future it is.
Uk could send a carrier, an Albion, a bay or 2, a couple of point transports. It’s not much.
And the Chinese could send even less our way and sustain it. The USN 7th Fleet could handle anything the Chinese could throw at them single handedly. Add in the the Japanese, South Koreans, Taiwan, Australia ect. And China would have it’s hands very full, and that’s before you add in any European and UK deployments. The Chinese, like the Russians also lack the experience. Good at propaganda, and talking big numbers. Using it effectively is another story. Let’s hope we don’t have to find out, and diplomacy works it’s magic. 👍
Your so wrong
As soon as body bags start landing back home there would be an out cry.
The Chinese wouldn’t have the same problem.
In a war tech is not always better and determination will always win.
Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan
The Chinese are rapidly developing and adding the equivalent tonnage to the RN/ French navy every 2-3 years. That is incredible.
However underneath that huge developing force structure there is a massive lack of operational experience. Experience of dissimilar combat. Working with allies. Integration as a combined force. High tempo combined arms operations etc
Crucially what really limits Chinese naval operations is a lack of underway replenishment and cargo lift capability in their auxillary fleet.
Then add that their attack submarines although large in number are noisy and 2 generations behind the best Western subs. Astute, Virginia, Sea Wolf, Barracuda class would all make mincemeat of Chinese sub fleet.
The Chinese are moving at pace to upgrade their sub designs and bring new classes online. Mostly courtesy of stealing the Barracuda design from France which was widely reported and contributed to Australia cancelling their sub order and directly led to AUKUS.
Australia wisely didnt see the point ordering subs at massive expense that theChinese had the designs for and were going to retro engineer themselves. Piss poor French computer server firewalls, encryption and hardware protection.
I think that’s a pretty accurate summary 👍
China is no longer copy cat China , they are way ahead in many tech such as 5G 6G AI hypersonic weapons. Few auxiliary which are easier to produce won’t stop their credible expansion which the pentagon takes serious! China in the next years will have a navy double the size of the US navy which is incredible
Apparently they flew one into Taiwanese airspace yesterday, hopefully the radar map gained will be shared with the US and others
I think there was a USAF leaked story of how Poseidon aircraft kept getting buzzed by J20s in the sea off Japan. The USAF chose to discretely follow the next Poseidon flight with 2 F22s.
Sure enough Chinese J20s buzzed the MPA but then were startled when their rear radar warning receiver said they had been locked on. Searching around they couldnt see the aggressor aircraft that had radar locked them.
The radio then came on and the F22 pilots politely told the Chinese they should be somewhere else.
One of the F22s was flying beneath the F22 so not visible the other was 3-5 miles back maintaining radar lock.
The J20 hasnt got the sensor integration or sophistication of F35 or F22 so is unlikely to be an effective opponent against western 5th gen aircraft. Might trouble 4th gen but i think probably even typhoon would be able to effectively counter them.
Alaska as I discovered recently has generally operated the latest fighters I assume to ensure the very best standing support to the minimal ground forces there in any sneak attack enabling time for reinforcement.
The J20 is just a copy with some very ‘stealthy’ cannards.
J-20’s stealth *might* compare to the F-35 but its sensors and avionics do not.
This is interesting
Vertical to Partner with Babcock for Development of eVTOL EMS Applications
Could these be tried on QE’s soon.
No link, and absolutely nothing to do with Typhoons.
Electric tiltrotor build in Bristol? Yes, very interesting, but for the QE? Insufficient range or payload (100 miles / 450 kg) I’d have thought. It could do the maritime inter-theatre lift role, but the navy seems to have its heart set on a drone for that. Perhaps ferrying VIPs to treaty signings or exhibitions.
Argus might be a better home, at least until it’s repurposed.
*intra-theatre
Do not forget ASRAAM v6 that in effect is a medium range AAM that outranges AIM-9X and other dogfight missiles. When Typhoon gets Radar 2 it will be even more deadly. Not to mention the joint work by the UK and Japan on a Meteor with a new AESA radar.
The only hope for the F16 would be to try and fide and them pop up and take a shot. However even this tactic is more problematic with AWACS and networked platforms – if on sees you they all do…
Anyone that thinks we, (meaning the US/UK) could contend with an all out war with China is sorely mistaken. Just the fact they posses hypersonic missiles “which we currently can’t defend against” just goes just goes to show how far behind we really are!
Who would China sell their cheaply produced stuff to If they fall out with the West?
Behind? Other way round I’d suggest. In most areas.
Hypersonic missiles? Hype.
Ah the mythical hypersonic missile debate. Great they can field something which can hit a stationary object and for ‘part’ of its flight path be hypersonic, apparently.
Anyone who thinks China can contend an all out war with Western allies anywhere other than defending the south china sea or the Chinese mainland is deluded.
We can barely defend against the thousands of ballistic missiles they actually have either but what are they going to attack with those mythical hype weapons? the US mainland? Then goodbye China.
You’ll note the other supposed superpower is struggling to fight a war next door I think China with virtually no experience fighting a modern war would struggle to get across the strait without losing most of its forces. Time will tell
True, but the fact you have two of the most prominent US weapons manufacturers scrambling to create hypersonic weapon deterents goes to show its a serious issue. Also the unvailing of the new aircraft carrier missile from China the other day would suggest they are preparing themselves inacse we/nato/US look to place any of our fleets anywhere close to their mainland.
Have a look at Chinese theft of intellectual and military information via their many cyber divisions. That is where things get scary.
Russia isn’t China, they have had an outdated millitary for so long. They have been using equipment from the mid 90s. China on the other hand have been going unchecked for a long time.
Like you said time will tell but I wouldn’t be surprised to read an invasion of Taiwan in the next few months.
You realize hypersonic missiles have been around for 50years right? All ICBMs are hypersonic , The challenge is making a cost effective hypersonic missile that’s conventional.
Also like has been said they are only really good for stationary targets , It’s almost impossible to guide a missile going at hypersonic speeds.