European combat aircraft SITREP

Europe produces three modern fighter aircraft in service with the continent’s air forces, although the American F-35, a crucial component of NATO’s air strategy, will form the backbone of the Alliance’s air defence. Five countries (Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom) operate the Eurofighter Typhoon, while France, Greece, and Croatia fly the Rafale. Sweden, Hungary, and the Czech Republic are equipped with the Swedish JAS Gripen.

Frontline fighters at a glance

The Eurofighter Typhoon, a twin-engine, delta-wing, multi-role combat aircraft, is a testament to European technological prowess. Developed by the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Spain in the Eurofighter GmbH consortium, it entered service in 2004. With over 850,000 flying hours, the Eurofighter Typhoon is the backbone of the German, British, Italian, and Spanish air forces. Its advanced sensor data fusion and multifunctional information distribution system (MIDS), AESA radar, and sensitive infrared search and tracking system (IRST) are at the forefront of aviation technology. Among others, its armament options include GPS/laser-guided Paveway II and Paveway IV bombs, the Brimstone guided missile in conjunction with the Litening III targeting pod, and a 27 mm cannon.

As part of its Quadriga project, Germany has confirmed the purchase of 38 Tranche 4 Eurofighters (30 single-seaters and eight twin-seaters). Speaking at the ILA exhibition in Berlin, Chancellor Scholz announced the order of 20 more aircraft before the end of the current legislative period, scheduled for autumn 2025. The Italian Aeronautica Militare is currently operating 94 Eurofighter EF-2000s. According to Janes, Rome is considering the purchase of at least 24 additional aircraft to replace its Tornado ECR and Tranche 1 Eurofighters. Spain ordered 45 aircraft in two contracts under its Halcón I and Halcón II programmes, bringing the total number of Spanish Eurofighters to 90, with the first delivery due in 2026. The Royal Air Force operates 137 Eurofighter Typhoons from FGR.4 combat and T.3 training standards. The RAF will dispose of 30 Tranche 1 Typhoons and modernise its latest aircraft through Project Medulla. The remaining fleet is Tranche 3 compliant and will join the new Tranche 4 standard by adopting this second-generation Active Antenna Radar. In November 2023, the German parliament agreed to release an envelope of EUR 384 million to convert 15 Eurofighters to the EK standard to replace the Luftwaffe’s Panavia Tornado ECRs dedicated to electronic warfare (EW). Italy would be interested in cooperation with Germany around the Eurofighter EF-2000 EK, for which Saab’s Arexis electronic warfare suite and the AGM-88E2 Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) have recently been selected.

The Eurofighter Typhoon holds strategic industrial importance in Europe, serving as a critical component in maintaining European defence capabilities. However, the question of the sustainability of assembly lines is emerging. Germany is promoting the development of an updated version of the Eurofighter to maintain skills and avoid a loss of technology, which could negatively impact German participation in the FCAS programme. Nine air forces worldwide have placed orders for 680 Typhoons. Exports remain challenging for the aircraft; the last order dates to 2017 with 24 fighters for Qatar. In January 2024, the German government lifted its veto on a potential sale to Saudi Arabia.

The Rafale entered service with the French Navy in 2002 and the Air Force in 2006. The Armed Forces Ministry ordered 234 aircraft, of which 166 have been delivered. In August 2023, l’Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace announced the adoption of the new Rafale standard, the F4.1. The first increment of the F4 standard includes the Scorpion helmet, designed to bring the most critical tactical information to the pilot’s eye. The RBE2 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar provides enhanced detection capabilities, supported by an improved Optronique Secteur Frontal (OSF) day and infrared search and tracking system. The Rafale F4.1 has an enhanced air-to-air/air-to-ground sighting system that can be used with the MICA NG missile. The new Talios laser pod gives the pilot a permanent terrain view. This version means the aircraft can carry the 1,000 kg AASM bomb instead of 250 kg. The Rafale also ensures the country’s permanent nuclear deterrent posture, carrying the improved medium-sized nuclear missile, the Air-Sol Moyenne Portée Amélioré-Rénové (ASMPA-R). The Directorate General of Armament (DGA) is already preparing the F4.2 standard, which will focus on collaborative combat, with integrating the L16 block 2 link, and the CONTACT software-based digital radio. The Tragedac system will provide the Rafale with a passive target location ability thanks to information exchange with aircraft on the same patrol.

In its F4.2 variant, the OSF’s infrared channel will be equipped with new optics, improving its identification capabilities. The ultimate evolution will be the Rafale F5. With a similar appearance to the previous version, the aircraft will be equipped with fibre optic cabling to process vast volumes of data. It will also be integrated with artificial intelligence (AI), new types of weaponry and will be able to communicate in real time with at least one drone. The drone associated with the Rafale F5 will also be able to destroy opposing anti-aircraft systems and capable of carrying the future ASN4G nuclear missile. This year, the DGA received two two-seated Rafale B364 and 363 aircraft, which represent aircraft 13 and 14 out of a batch of 40 from the 4T2 Tranche to be delivered by the end of 2025. The 42 Tranche 5 Rafale aircraft ordered in 2023 will be delivered from 2027. In Europe, Greece could acquire six additional aircraft, while Serbia is interested in a dozen aircraft.

The JAS 39 Gripen (Griffin in English) is a fourth-generation, single-engine, multi-role combat aircraft capable of performing air-to-air, air-to-surface, and reconnaissance missions. The JAS 39 entered service with the Swedish Air Force in 1996. In 2010, the country’s Gripen fleet completed the MS19 upgrade process for the JAS39 C, enabling the use of the MBDA Meteor long-range missile, the IRIS-T short-range missile and the GBU-49 laser-guided bomb. The latest version, the Gripen E/F, was developed to counter and defeat advanced and future threats. The Gripen E/F will employ a new AESA radar, the Raven ES-05, which is based on the Vixen AESA from Selex E.S. In addition to the aircraft’s single 27 mm Mauser BK-27 cannon, Gripen is compatible with a wide range of weapons. The Gripen E has ten hardpoints, allowing fast integration of a wide array of precision weapons. The F-39E is already operational in Brazil, and in January 2024, Saab delivered the first combat aircraft, series no. 603 to the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV). The Swedish Air Force will receive the first aircraft in 2025 within the F7 Såtenäs Wing. The Swedish fighter, known for its affordable unit price and economical operational costs, won essential export markets in the 2000s, including 14 aircraft for Hungary and the same number for the Czech Republic. After several lean years, Hungary has recently ordered four additional JAS 39 Gripen C aircraft, and Stockholm is negotiating the acquisition of 60 Gripen E fighters.

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is the latest US fifth-generation fighter. It is versatile and agile (reportedly capable of pulling 9g), the multi-role fighter combines stealth, sensor fusion and sophisticate situational awareness. The aircraft is equipped with the AN/APG-81 AESA radar designed by Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems. The F-35’s electronic sensors include the optronic Distributed Aperture System (DAS), a system that provides pilots with situational awareness in a sphere around the aircraft for enhanced missile warning, aircraft warning, and day/night visibility for the pilot. The F-35 fighter connects fifth-generation stealth fighters with the Multifunction Advanced Datalink (MADL). The F-35A is also now qualified to carry NATO’s B61-12 nuclear bomb.

The F-35 is powered by the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine. Although the engine can generate 19,504 kg (43,000 lb) of thrust, it has been reported to have problems with inadequate thrust, which has limited the aircraft’s performance and increased maintenance costs. Following the end of the Adaptive Engine Transition Programme (AETP), which aims to design a new engine, the USAF proposed a package of Improvements for the current F135, known as the F135 Engine Core Upgrade (ECU). The first F135 ECU is due to be delivered in 2029.

The F-35 currently has only some of the capabilities listed in its specifications. The aircraft’s programme includes upgrading the TR3 software and moving to Block 4. While most details of the Block 4 upgrades are still classified, it is known that they will consist of a significant upgrade to the jet’s DAS and Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS), in addition to the integration of new weapons such as the GBU-53/B StormBreaker precision-guided bomb, and significant improvements to the aircraft’s EW suite. The F-35 will also receive the new AN/APG-85 radar (which evolved from the AN/APG-81) for all three F-35 A/B/C variants, starting with Lot 17, to be produced from 2025 onwards. According to the production schedule, F-35s acquired by Poland, Belgium, and Finland will be equipped with the new radar.

An increasing number of air forces in Europe are operating or have ordered, or plan to acquire further the F-35 Lightning II aircraft. This customer base includes Belgium (34), Denmark (27), Italy (60 F-35A and 30 F-35B), Norway (52), The Netherlands (37), Poland (32), the United Kingdom (48 ordered; but retains a total requirement of 138, of which 114 F-35B for the RAF and 24 F-35B for the Fleet Air Arm), and Finland (64). The German Air Force has also placed an order for 35 fighters in 2022 with delivery scheduled for 2026–2029. By the 2030s, over 550 F-35s from more than ten European countries are expected to work together, including two US F-35 squadrons at RAF Lakenheath in the UK.

Sixth-generation fighters

In aerial combat, advanced technology is a force multiplier. Sixth-generation fighter programmes are multiplying worldwide, and their capabilities are starting to be better defined, such as advanced digital capabilities, including high-capacity networking, AI, data fusion, and offensive cyber capabilities. Sixth-generation fighters will mostly be single-seat cockpits. Manned fighters will control ‘Loyal Wingmen’, now more commonly referred to as ‘Collaborative Combat Aircraft’ (CCA), for offensive and defensive tasks. These sixth-generation models are slated to replace the Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon and the US F-22 Raptor.

The Future Combat Air System (FCAS; or SCAF in French) is a European project for interconnected air weapons systems involving France, Germany, Spain, with Belgium as observer. Germany and France inked a framework agreement in 2017, with Spain joining in 2020. FCAS consists of several components arranged in different layers. The first layer is the Next Generation Weapon System (NGWS), which includes the combat aircraft itself, and deployed effectors. The latter include unmanned aircraft capable of saturating enemy defences, conducting reconnaissance (before and during the mission), and even attacking highly defended targets. All this will be part of an ‘air combat cloud’ which will link all the platforms together and enable cooperative warfare. For France, the Rafale, satellites, reconnaissance and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft will form the second layer. FCAS demonstrators are planned to undertake their first flight in 2028/2029, and the aircraft itself is due to be operational by 2040. The New Generation Fighter Engine (NGFE) will equip the FCAS. Safran Aircraft Engines and the Spanish engine and component manufacturer ITP Aero are teaming up with MTU to develop a new engine.

Under Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), the aim is to develop and field a next-generation aircraft system to enter service by around 2035. The programme takes a similar ‘system of systems’ approach to FCAS, featuring a highly networked fighter platform interoperating with CCA, and various other assets.

In the US, the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) may be even more ambitious. On 18 May 2023, the USAF confidentially notified the major aircraft manufacturers of its request for proposals with a possible contract in 2024. The aircraft is expected to cost more than USD 150 million per unit, making it the most expensive fighter ever.

Air power multipliers

Today, Link 16 is the standard for US and Allied aircraft. This type of network, designed 40 years ago, has its limitations. The upgraded Link 16 radios are expected to provide the same capabilities as the MADL while maintaining interoperability. In the future, the assets will evolve into a fully networked system of systems, which will be based on open architecture. The Air Combat Cloud will be at the heart of these complex systems, enabling the various platforms to work together. In terms of sensing capabilities, AESA radar technology has become the standard for combat aircraft radars, however the radars on sixth-generation combat aircraft are set to employ ‘cognitive’ techniques, leveraging AI.

In the near future, the CCA will be autonomous, capable of navigating and flying themselves and of managing their own sensors. Airbus Defence and Space recently revealed its new ‘Wingman’ concept, a CCA resembling a small fighter aircraft. The Wingman’s tasks can range from surveillance to jamming and engaging targets on the ground or in the air with precision-guided munitions or missiles.

In terms of air-to-air weaponry, the US Air Force has announced plans to speed up production of the AIM-260 (JATM) which will provide CCA or their manned counterparts a weapon with greater range, survivability, and lethality. In Europe, the Meteor beyond-visual-range missile is already in service. According to the director of the Rafale project at the DGA, the RBE2-AESA radar paired with the Meteor missile makes the Rafale the most efficient air-to-air aircraft in the world. Meteor canengage targets at very long-ranges, powered by its ducted ramjet propulsion and using an active radar seeker for guidance. The Meteor can intercept targets at over 100 km (80 NM) with an assured interception zone (also referred to as a ‘no escape zone’) of 50-60 km.

To conclude, US fighters remain extremely attractive, thanks to their performance and interoperability. However, European industrial projects such as the Eurofighter and Rafale are essential for the continent’s technological independence. Nevertheless, Europe has once again gone astray by thinking of two different but very similar sixth-generation programmes. It is not out of the question to dream that, in the face of increasing dangers and the need for rationalisation of expenditure, the two European projects could give birth to a single system.

Jean François Auran