A series of written parliamentary answers has shed light on the remaining obstacles facing delivery of the Typhoon’s new European Common Radar System Mk2, while also clarifying the pace of procurement and the wider Eurofighter enhancement programme.
Ben Obese Jecty, the Conservative MP for Huntingdon, asked the Ministry of Defence “what are the significant remaining challenges faced in delivering the European Common Radar System Mk 2,” referencing the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority’s 2024–25 annual report. His question sought specifics on what still threatens the schedule for the radar, which the RAF plans to field by 2030.
Responding on behalf of the department, Minister of State Luke Pollard wrote that the major challenges “centre principally around the international Eurofighter capability programme, known as Phase 4 Enhancements, which will deliver the significant changes to the aircraft’s avionics system required to integrate the UK Radar.”
He added that work continues with NETMA and Eurofighter partner nations to ensure that “the international programme scope includes all essential UK features, and that these are prioritised to deliver in time for the RAF to test and field the ECRS Mk2 radar by 2030.” According to the answer, this schedule aligns with a mandate agreed by all four Eurofighter partner nations in May 2025.
These exchanges follow written questions earlier in the autumn that probed related issues. In one, James Cartlidge MP asked the MOD “what plans he has to accelerate the procurement of E-Scan Radar for the Royal Air Force.” Pollard replied that the UK, Eurofighter partner nations and industry are jointly working through Phase 4 Enhancements to deliver ECRS Mk2 into service by the end of the decade, adding that “opportunities are being explored to accelerate development and testing.”
Cartlidge also asked whether the Secretary of State had discussed acceleration of the programme with the incoming Chief of the Air Staff. Pollard replied that “there have not yet been any discussions” on that issue. In a further question on costs, Pollard confirmed that “there is an approved budget of £2.35 billion to deliver the Eurofighter Common Radar System Mk2 within Eurofighter Phase 4 Enhancements,” with development contracts already committed and production and integration contracts still to follow.
These parliamentary exchanges are taking place against the backdrop of significant ongoing work at Leonardo’s radar development site in Edinburgh, where engineers are preparing the system for integration. The ECRS Mk2 is an active electronically scanned array radar that blends traditional sensing with advanced electronic warfare and electronic attack functions. Unlike legacy mechanically scanned radars that steer a single beam through physical movement, AESA technology uses thousands of transmit/receive modules to steer multiple beams electronically. This supports near-instantaneous tracking, improved reliability and stronger resilience to jamming.
Leonardo engineers in Edinburgh told me that the radar stands out because it can handle air-to-air and air-to-ground tasks while carrying out electronic attack at the same time. The AESA design gives operators extremely fine control over how energy is directed, which helps build tracks earlier and reveals more about a target’s electromagnetic behaviour. People involved in the project say this strengthens the Typhoon’s prospects in demanding airspace and pushes it beyond its familiar air defence role into suppression and disruption missions. The remaining technical and programme uncertainties mentioned in the responses fit into a broader push to overhaul the Typhoon’s avionics and bring in a radar that represents a significant shift for the aircraft.
So potentialyy more delays. What a surprise.
With these governments? We are totally screwed.
OT but related
a very interesting article in Breaking Defense dated nov 21 that calls the sale of Typhoon to Turkey “a win for industry, a loss for strategy”
I agree 100% with that view, always have always will. Turkey under Erdogan is clearly no ally and It’s willfull blindness that is going to bite all of Europe and NATO in tbe ass down the road.
Well I’m not sure that a Turkey that moves further away from NATO and European partners is a better option. As things stand I really can’t imagine Turkey having any faith in partnering with Russia even if it pursues reasonably good relations with them for obvious reasons. Turkey knows that Russia would like to reintegrate its close ally and ethnically similar Azerbaijan under its control one way or another not to mention less Turkey aligned States in the region and of course it won’t have forgotten the very reason it’s in NATO is because post war Stalin demanded land from it (sounds familiar) and joint control of the Bosphorus. I doubt they would think in present circumstances or moving forward that Putin and a clearly expansionist Russia would have erased those plans from its files. So yes it plays its games but when comes to choosing it would be cutting its own throat by not siding with NATO and the west more generally, its support for Ukraine rather backs that up. Be cautious yes but we can’t afford to right off a Country that’s key to the southern border borders and it’s hefty military and influence.
Turley under Erdogan has been moving further away from Nato for years, and it predates buying S400. Did you miss the last summit in China where Turkey was present and joined BRICS? Turkey has been developping its industrial base to not depend on west so that it can act as it sees fit. It wants msteor so that it can examine it and later use that knowledge for Roketsan etc…
Turkey does not support Ukraine, Selling a handfull of TB2 is business. Closing the strait to military ships is its obligation according to treaties. Turkey plays a double game in the invasion of Ukraine. Turkey has not imposed sanctions on Russia, in fact a lot of military tech and oil are traded via Turkey to bypass sanctions.
Erdogan’s vision is clear for any that pay attention. He went to koranic university, he is an islamist (just look at laws passed under his tenure) and is fully in bed with Muslim Brotherhood and its offspring Hamas. He has purged the military of any old guard that stood for Ataturks democratic vision, and set up a new Security Force that answers to him, and its well equipped. he has purged academia and legal system of anyone he sees as a threat, he has also muted all opposition in the press and political opponents (recently the mayor of Istanbul was arrested on BS allegations) All this has been going on for well over a decade.
He makes territorial claims of Greek territory, he wants to control the eastern med and even proclaimed that most of the waters from Turkey to Lybia are Turkish economic waters claiming stuff that no one in the i ternational community has recognized, Turkey was violating arms embargo in Lybia. Turkey is still an occupying force in Cyprus, he uses migration as a weapon to blackmail Europe, etc…
Erdogan and Turkey under his regime are not coming back into the fold of the West, the facts and actions clearly point towards a move in the opposite direction. Sorry but to think otherwise is either delusional or ignorance
So basically then,
Turkey isn’t just for christmas !
Turkey is marginally more reliable than that shower across the pond. We really should be keeping them in the tent though.
Turkey is not reliable at all that has been proven over and over again. You are not keeping them in the fold, to think that is wrong and ignorant of Erdogan’s vision, which is pretty clear if you follow what has been going the last 2 decades. Did you miss the fact that Turkey has announced it wants to actively join BRICS and that they went to China’s last summit?
What is insane and short sighted is that Starmer just sold those planes with nothing in return. When at bare minimum he should have imposed conditions as part of any purchase! He did not and instead patted himself on the back for keeping 2,000 jobs or so to sell 20 planes. Seriously? if Starmer wants to support UK industrial base then he shoukd order 60 or 80 Typhoons for the RAF, and not just because of jobs, but also being more self sufficient in arms production and be less reliant on US. Not suggesting by any means to cut ties with US or adopt an adversarial policy, but UK needs to be resilient on its own for its sake, as well as Europe. You can be allies with the US, but you don’t have to sleep on their couch.
Agree in full.
If the system’s development has finished, and all that’s needed is its integration, how can it possibly take 5 years?!
Cashflow [the favourite in year budgets] and keeping people busy until Tempest manufacturing is a thing.
The problem with painfully small purchasing is that painfully small workforces have to be kept busy so painfully large budgets are spent for not as much return as you would like.
I can think of at least 20 ways you could keep the Typhoon workers busy over the next 5 years.
If the DIP measures don’t translate into a step change in energy and purpose, we might just be doomed to irrelevance.
Exactly Nate, any excuse is BS. By the time the funding is in place, the electronics will be superseded and obsolete.
And then the project can be cancelled stating ‘we have learned a lot’ – doubles all round.
I have given up defending U.K. defence. It is an utter joke. The most basic project management practice goes out the window.
We have donated all of our AS90 mobile artillery to Ukraine. Which I fully support. In it place we have bought 14 Archers as a “ stop gap” we all know what that means( permanent solution) . Pending ordering an undisclosed number of RCH 155.
Have we placed the order NO!!, is there any likelihood of us placing an order , not a cats chance!!
I am immensely proud of our men and women in the armed forces and disgusted they are being led by incompetent fools in government. Who will sacrifice them on the alter of budget cuts!!
I’m worried this “Phase 4” might end up like a certain notorious “Block 4”… a huge bundle of goodies that constantly slip when it comes to delivery.
Apparently Rudolf the lead reindeer needs a new red nose to replace his current one, The MOD has allocated 1 percent of the Defence budget to pay for it.
Meanwhile the GCAP consortium, with Leonardo leading the way, is already working on GCAP radar.
Radar 2 has just been delayed by lack of funding and glacial integration. Now its only being fitted to our tranche 3 aircraft, and I suspect not all of them…
30 odd aircraft by 2035 ish, as the RAF takes delivery of its first Tempest and builds up its F35A force, replacing Thypoon tranche 2 instead of upgrading them.
Just bloody pointless really, I hope its helped with GCAP radar development at least.