At the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), the Royal Air Force (RAF) announced that the British TYPHOON fleet would be upgraded over the next few years with an investment of £2.35 Bn (€2.8 Bn). This would secure 1,300 jobs in the UK. The upgrades include the latest mission computers and a cockpit interface, as well as an improved navigation system and signal jamming technology.
At the heart of the upgrade is the new European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk 2, developed and produced by Leonardo UK. According to the RAF, this will further improve the TYPHOON’s air control. The Electronic Warfare (EW) capability is to enable the aircraft to detect, identify and track multiple targets in the air and on the ground simultaneously.
According to the RAF, the radar will support operations in the most difficult situations, enabling pilots to suppress enemy air defences using high-power jammers and engage targets that are beyond threat range. The ECRS is scheduled to enter service towards the end of the decade.
Germany and Spain have opted for an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which is being jointly developed by Hensoldt and Indra. Equipping the aircraft with different radars is attributed to different operational needs of the countries.
GWH