BAE Systems has announced the selection of Collins Aerospace as the provider of its Large Area Display technology to be integrated into the cockpits of forthcoming Typhoon aircraft.
The ultra-high-definition LAD comes under BAE Systems’ Project Medulla, a rapid capability development initiative aimed at incorporating advanced technologies across its combat air range, with the Typhoon being a notable inclusion.
“The LAD will serve as a pivotal tool for pilots, consolidating critical flight data, sensor inputs and tactical information into a single, easily accessible interface”, say the firm.
It will offer real-time updates from systems such as radar, targeting modules, and threat detectors. This will ensure that pilots always have a comprehensive understanding of the battlespace, facilitating rapid and accurate decision-making in intense combat situations.
Ian Clark, Head of Medulla at BAE Systems Air, voiced his endorsement for Collins Aerospace’s LAD equipment, citing that it complements their ongoing investments in their combat air platforms, including the Typhoon. “The LAD will enable pilots to harness the full potential of Typhoon’s advanced in radar and weapons technology ensuring the aircraft remains the backbone of combat air power for decades to come,” Clark said.
Craig Bries, VP GM, Marketing, Sales, & Aftermarket Services at Collins Aerospace, highlighted the LAD’s potential, mentioning, “Our Large Area Display for Eurofighter Typhoon cockpits represents a game-changing advancement in combat aviation.”
Now it just needs a funding line from the MOD to be part of the P4E package. P4E will be available for all nations from 2028.
” forthcoming”? Germany? Saudi Arabia? How about setting it up for the Tranche 1 airframes?
It won’t work on T1 airframes. This could be part of the P4E upgrade.
I bow to your knowledge on this one Robert🙂
The T1 avionics are pretty obsolete now, and increasingly expensive to support. Mainly yhe hardware. T1 could be upgraded, but at huge expense. The money is better spent on the T2/3 which is designed to support future upgrade packages like P4E. P4E is like the Typhoon equivalent of F35’s blk4. And also very expensive. P4E will be available from 2028.
All good but you know me. I worry about numbers as well.🙄
First Tranche 1, 2 seat trainer was accepted into RAF service 2003. The first F2 single seat model arrived in late 2006.
53 in total T1 were bought.
All fighter planes get out of date, just live with it . The F22 is having a new update as its construction was winding down around the time T1 were coming into service!
The capability is still there
I don’t have a problem with the T1’s being retired. Maybe others do. Some early F22’s are also being retired. The French have also retired early Rafales.
Well 53 T1s were obtained , many have been retired already . I was thinking of the 25-30 that are in 2 squadrons that they remain in service for around another 5 years
The talk is always around ‘saving money’ , however its chicken feed to maintain the software – not push out the next major upgrades for planes that cost £50-60 mill each only 15 years ago.
There are very few T1’s left in service. Those that are in service are mainly on the OCU. The software isn’t the issue. It’s the hardware that supports the software in the T1 fleet that is now obsolete and increasingly difficult to support. Also there are internal structural differences. If it was simple and cheap, T1’s would be retained. But it isn’t cheap or simple, and the RAF now has fleets within fleets, which is a massive pain in the arse.
Theres two squadrons worth, not a few – they were especially retained for this mission hence this answer in the House of Commons ‘To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) in service and (b) out of service dates are for (i) Tranche 1, (ii) Tranche 2, (iii) Tranche 3 and (iv) Tranche 4 of the RAF’s Eurofighter Typhoons. Answer on 9 February 2023 The in service and current planned out of service dates for the RAF’s fleet of Typhoon aircraft are given below: In Service,Out of Service Tranche 1, 2003, 2027 Tranche 2, 2008, 2040 Tranche… Read more »
Just because the RAF has 30 T1’s. it doesn’t mean all are in frontline operational service. The bulk of the 7 frontline sqns are made up of T2/3 aircraft. They could be retained. But at a very large cost. The money is being spent on the P4E development for all T2/3 aircraft and ECRS MK 2 radar to keep the fleet very capable well into the 2030s. 40 T3 aircraft will receive the new radar. Hopefully, if the budget is available, the T2’s will also be added to the project.
Wrong again. They have two operational squadrons- like I said before-
Surely you know this as your information about the systems is very well informed
It was announced in SDSR 2015
“Making better use of planned and existing aircraft, and increasing pilot and ground crew numbers, we will establish one more F-35B Lightning squadron and two more Typhoon squadrons; an increase on the planned six to nine fast jet squadrons.”
Thats the Typhoons mentioned in the commons answer earlier this year
Hi Duker. Let me explain. The RAF currently have 137 Typhoons FGR4’s made up of T1,2,3 aircraft. The forward fleet is 100 Typhoons across 7 frontline sqns, the OCU, 41sqn the evaluation sqn and the 4 Falklands based aircraft. With the remaining 37 in the sustainment fleet. Sustainment fleet are the aircraft in different states of deep maintenance and attrition replacements. A very small number of the 100 forward fleet aircraft are made up of T1 aircraft. Mainly on the OCU. Blackjack the display Typhoon is a T1 jet, for example. The RAF does not operate 2 sqn’s made up… Read more »
The information I have presented and the Defence review in 2015 was about ‘2 more operational squadrons’ which were at the time and still are until 2025 , the 30 Typhoon Tranche 1.
Obviously with the out of service dates , no need for large numbers of Tr 1 sustainment planes
You have backtracked so much from your first claim of ‘hardly any Tr1 left’, time to let it go and admit you got it all wrong ?
Aviation Procurement: Winging it?commons defence COMITTEE REPORTnumbers are the paragraphs “37. The Defence Command Paper announced that the remaining Tranche 1 Typhoons, originally due to leave service in 2030, would instead be retired by 2025.43 Figures provided by the Minister for the Armed Forces suggest that the 30 aircraft affected will be retired with an average of almost 60% of their airframe fatigue lives remaining. “ 39. Retirement of the 30 aircraft in Tranche 1 will leave 107 Tranche 2 and 3 Typhoons in service, and the MoD has committed £2.55 billion to upgrading the remaining aircraft So the RAF will have… Read more »
Duker. Did you even read my comment? I haven’t backtracked on anything. I have given you accurate and informative information from my own experience of working with frontline military fast jets. And from an understanding of the structure of the RAF Typhoon force. If you are just looking for an argument, I suggest you message sombody else.
You said only a few left , and the House of commons is told 30 , which matches my claim all along. The reports talk about the 2 extra squadrons too that arose from keeping them around till 2025
There is nothing in official records to back you up.
Its not helped by all the RAF now calling all FGR4, when originally the Tranche1 (Tr1)were given marks of T1 for two seaters and F2 for single seat. I looked up the serials allocated to show they ( single seaters) are all FGR4
Yes, they are all designated FGR4’s. I explained the difference between the forward fleet and the sustainment fleet. Aircraft are move around the sqns depending on the tasking and managing the maintenance plan. I can’t explain it any simpler than that. That is how fast jets fleets are managed in the real world. It was the same when I worked on Harrier GR7/9’s.
Thanks for your patience. I of course have no first hand knowledge but the RAF brass and politicians make the impression that 30 Tr 1 are used by the RAF as 2 squadrons of QRA assignment. The days of planes with squadron insignia are long gone, so hard to match whats where For instance the F-35B https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircraft/lightning-f35b/ with 17, 217, 617 squadrons but 17 is in US, 217 is a training unit and 617 is the only active unit ( another is on the way) then https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircraft/typhoon-fgr4/ 9 nameplate Sq, but only 5 seem to be active duty with IX… Read more »
It isn’t smoke and mirrors, it’s just how fast jets fleets are managed. Very few jets have sqn markings because they are operated as a whole fleet, rather than say the same 12 aircraft are assigned to a particular sqn. The aircraft are moved around depending on operational requirements and managing the maintenance plan. And jets are often at different operational standards. That’s why withdrawing the T1 fleet helps reduce the fleet within fleets. Which is a major pain for engineers and planners. QRA is also shared by the whole fleet. Aircrews are on a duty rota to man QRA… Read more »
The smoke and mirrors does exist as your credible claim is ‘not many Tr 1 are actually ‘in service’ when the politicians say theres ’30 to equip 2 squadrons worth’ which was my understanding too
Also having smoke to use the same mark of FGR4 ( for Tr 2&3) when those 30 still are the F2 version from when Tr 1 was built. ( there was some strike role added initially so I think of them as FG2)
Duker. T1’s have received many upgrades over the years called PE’s or phased Enhancements. They are not F2’s anymore. The F2 designation went out years ago. I explained the forward fleet and the sustainment fleet concept to you. The RAF does not operate Typhoon Squadrons made up of solely T1 aircraft. Or indeed T2 or T3. They are operated as one fleet. Aircraft are moved around the Squadrons as required depending on operational requirements, and engineering maintenance requirements. 100 Typhoons are in the forward fleet. 37 are in the sustainment fleet. I can’t make it any clearer. The T1’s that… Read more »
So there is no difference for the RAF between Tr1 planes and Tr3 as they all have the same mark, and no differences in the systems and sensors operation- that matter for pilots maybe not for maintainers.
Thats doesnt sound right
Wheres the 30 Tr1 the politicians said they saved in 2106? or so and when these 30 planes go formally out of service as planned in 2025 there wont be a reduction in 2 squadrons for front line Typhoons.
No, there won’t be a reduction in sqn’s once the T1’s go out of service because like I said many times now. Very few are in service across the 7 frontline sqn’s. 7 sqns can be maintained with T2/3 aircraft. But the sustainment fleet will be smaller. T1’s are not at the same avionic/capability as T2/3 aircraft but they have received upgrades over the year’s past F2 standard. You forget Typhoon delivery’s continued until 2019. Most of the aircraft to form the last two sqns came from delivery’s between 2015-2019.
Thanks again for your patience. Its clearer now But formal statements from RAF officers seem to agree more with me Air Commodore Ian Duguid, the RAF Typhoon Force Commander at the time (now Air Vice Marshal, Air Officer Commanding, No 1 Group), explained that up until 2015, the plan had been to take Tranche 1 aircraft out of service and effectively replace them with Tranche 3 aircraft. But then he said the RAF planned to keep Tranche 1 in service until 2035, freeing up the more advanced Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 aircraft for multi-role operations. It was explained that… Read more »
And the article confirms what I said. 7 frontline sqns will continue with T2/3 aircraft. And most T1’s are on the OCU. You still don’t get how fleet management works. I’m not explaining anymore. News articles are one thing. Real life fast jet operations and maintenance is another.
I do get it how the fleet management works from your explanations. The planes are a pool on base, they arent assigned to squadrons anymore. I got it the first time. The squadrons still exist as I dont think the aircrew are pooled and the ground crew have their own units/pool The RAF and the politicians are still telling the media[example given] and the House of commons that 2 extra squadrons( of aircrew) were created and that rather than retire the the F2/Tr 1 ( yes I get they have upgrades , but so do all planes) and replace by… Read more »
🤦 The RAF does NOT have 2 full sqns of Typhoons made up of T1 airframes. That hasn’t been the case for years,and never was. Get over it now Dunker. T1’s will be gone by mid 2025. £2.5bn is being spent on PE4 and ECRS Mk2 radar for T2/3 aircraft. 40 T3 will reciver the new radar.
Fine . But thats not the story being told by the politicians and especially the RAF.
Theres 2 squadrons of aircrew/operations staff , just making do with base pooled aircraft based your your very plausible claims
They are not making do. 100 Typhoons are operating over 7 sqns plus the OCU and the 41sqn trials sqn.
Dont dispute that , its those nameplate squadrons which have aircrew/operations but no allocated planes – as you explain- so they ‘make do’ with the planes at that base pool
The RAF can look at to getting a nice round number of these, rounded down to absolutely f*#k all!
I dreamed that the sun came out today as well!😎
The MOD is spending £2.35Bn on RAF Typhoon upgrades. A very large chunk of money. Mainly for P4E and ECRS MK2 radar. So yes, they RAF is likely to this cockpit display upgrade andcStriker 2 DHMD among many other enhancements that will keep Typhoon very capable well into the 2030’s
Tranche 1 airframes are all but retired. With only a handful left at IXb sqn as aggressors. There simply isn’t enough life left in those aging jets to justify spending millions on modifications. There are plenty of T2 and T3 jets that can benefit from a more modern display suite.
Yes, your probably right. A flurry of fantasy on my part.😏
Did Collins also supply the F35 wide area display?