Evolution of the Eurofighter Typhoon: TKF-90, AST 396, AST.403 and more

[overscan (PaulMM)]

1976 BAe projects

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

1977 BAe projects

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

1978 BAe projects

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Unknown designation BAe project from about 1979; BAe/MBB collaborative ECF design

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

1980 projects, part 1: BAe's submission to the tri-nation ECA program, plus the P106 light fighter design in conventional (P106A) and canard delta (P106B) form

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

1980 Part 2: BAe P110

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

1981: BAe P110

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

1982: collaborative ACA design

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

1983: BAe EAP
1985: early EFA design

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Sources:

Tony Buttler, Secret Projects: British Jet Fighters
Roy Boot, From Spitfire to Eurofighter
Bill Gunston, Warplanes of the Future
Bill Gunston, Future Fighters
Christy Campbell, Air Warfare
Jon Lake, Eurofighter (World Air Power Journal 35), 1998
Some images from internet

I have a variety of pics of German projects, but I have no clear timelines for the different designs. Perhaps Deino might know a little more?

 

[Deino]

I have a variety of pics of German projects, but I have no clear timelines for the different designs. Perhaps Deino might know a little more?

That's the problem ! I have also a lot of early concepts but no specific timeline ... during the weekend I'll try to post what I have ...

Cheers, Deino

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

BAe ECA submission, 1980

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

2 early TKF-90 studies

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

MBB TKF-90
1979
1980

Source:

• Flug Revue 04/79, Flug Revue 02/80

 

[Trident]

Windtunnel models used to test a multitude of nose-cone shapes (strakes, chines etc.), LERX variants, wing planforms and tail configurations in connection with the EFA project. Photographed at the Deutsches Museum in Munich.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

MBB TKF-90, 1980

Source:

• 'A New Fighter for Europe' Air International, September 1980

 

[PMN1]

Where's the F16 look-a-like (with twin tails)?

 

[Archibald]

Overscan, these pictures are fantastics! I have red in BSP that some full-size mockups had been built between 1977 and 1984, but its the first time I saw photos of it...
Hey, a mockup of the Hawker P.1216 was built in 1985. Have you photos of it??!!! (sorry to hijack the thread)
Just like full size mockups!!!

 

[TinWing]

Are these the "Eurofighter Lite" design studies that were promoted by Germany in the early 90s?

This image was posted by Matej in another forum. Perhaps Matej could shed some light on the original source.

 

[Matej]

This picture was published in Flight International, 28 October 1992, page 16. Article is generally about NEFA - studies to cut the costs of the planned EFA to meet different national requirements using the same airframe.

And specially for Archibald - german ECA mockup

 

[Archibald]

youpi!!!! Merci...

 

[Tophe]

This picture was published in Flight International, 28 October 1992, page 16.

Thanks I will mention this source for a slightly transformed version on the What-if forum: 2 asymmetric Zwillings made with Photopaint...
Thanks again!

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

This is wrongly labelled as an MBB TKF design, but must be a Dornier project

Source:

Roy Braybrook, "Dateline Kilimanjaro: up to the ass in alligators" Air International December 1979

** Added a second pic of same design

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

VFW-Fokker (?) & MBB TKF-90 projects.

 

[Sentinel Chicken]

Roy Braybrook, "Dateline Kilimanjaro: up to the ass in alligators" Air International December 1979

Uhhhh, did I read the title of that article correctly?

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Roy Braybrook, "Dateline Kilimanjaro: up to the ass in alligators" Air International December 1979

Uhhhh, did I read the title of that article correctly?

Yep ;D

 

[Sentinel Chicken]

Roy Braybrook, "Dateline Kilimanjaro: up to the ass in alligators" Air International December 1979

Uhhhh, did I read the title of that article correctly?

Yep ;D

And they say aviation writers are too serious........

 

[Sundog]

Braybook is hilarious. I recommend all of his articles from A.I. Another of my favorites is something like, "How they ever got to the moon is beyond me!" or something like that. All of his opinion pieces are funny. The one about the number of bathrooms on a passenger jet is another good one.

 

[PMN1]

When was the planned in service date for this when the four countries finally signed the agreements and did the spec of the aircraft then differ much from what is coming into service now?

How would an on time in service date have affected subequent aircraft developments?

 

[Jemiba]

"Braybook is hilarious"
Yes, I really miss his columns in the AI.
Very good, too, was the one about the increasing seat width
in civil aircraft ... (not wide body, but wide ass aircraft ! ;D )

 

[hs1216]

It’s a real shame that Britain didn’t go it alone and produce aircraft like the P110 and P106. Both of those fighters could have been great successes. Just asking, is the Gripen derived from the P106B. I know that BAE is a partner with SAAB in export but the similarities between the two are uncanny.

 

[Sundog]

How about another STOL variant of the Typhoon?

http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT5042746

 

[Archibald]

It’s a real shame that Britain didn’t go it alone and produce aircraft like the P110 and P106. Both of those fighters could have been great successes. Just asking, is the Gripen derived from the P106B. I know that BAE is a partner with SAAB in export but the similarities between the two are uncanny.

No politics on this forum (I perfectly understood, sory sorry sorry) but blame Thatcher in this case...

 

[RP1]

Politics? According to Buttler (BSP:F) BAE and SAAB entered into partnership on the Gripen after realising their seperate studies were very similar - BAE built the wings of the first aircraft. They also provide an EF-derived avionics package for export. IIRC an MoU between the two companies prohibited them from competing Gripen vs. EF2000, but this has now expired.

RP1

 

[TinWing]

It’s a real shame that Britain didn’t go it alone and produce aircraft like the P110 and P106. Both of those fighters could have been great successes. Just asking, is the Gripen derived from the P106B. I know that BAE is a partner with SAAB in export but the similarities between the two are uncanny.

From what I've read, Thatcher government support of the P106B in the early 1980s might have resulted in collaboration with Sweden and perhaps even India. BAe attempted to build a consortium outside of the current Eurofighter partners, but without official support, any lightweight fighter project was doomed.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Personally I think P.106B would have made an excellent aircraft for the RAF. It could have used Blue Vixen radar, a developed RB199 engine and been in service in the mid 1990s. With AMRAAM & Blue Vixen it would have been more than a match for any likely adversary, and been progressively upgraded avionicswise. Hmm... does this sound familiar? ;D

It would have had good sales potential abroad too.

 

[hs1216]

All I’m saying is that the similarities between the Gripen and P.106B seem more than that BAE and Saab were heading in the same development direction or the wing, it’s the entire aircraft. Other than slight dimensional difference, and air intake design; the Gripen and P.106 are almost the same plane. If the J-10 is said to be a Chinese Lavi than it not far fetched to say that the Gripen is a Swedish P.106B.

 

[hesham]

My dears,

can I ask you that,were the BAe P.104 and P.107 a projects
led to develope Eurofighter or not ?.

 

[TinWing]

All I’m saying is that the similarities between the Gripen and P.106B seem more than that BAE and Saab were heading in the same development direction or the wing, it’s the entire aircraft. Other than slight dimensional difference, and air intake design; the Gripen and P.106 are almost the same plane. If the J-10 is said to be a Chinese Lavi than it not far fetched to say that the Gripen is a Swedish P.106B.

I would go far as to say that P.106B was very similar to Saab's 2105 configuration, and virtually indentical to the NAL windtunnel model of an early LCA concept.

However, the definitive Saab Gripen was based on the slightly different configuration 2110 and we all know that the Indian LCA lost both its canards and any visible similarity to the P.106B.

 

[Sentinel Chicken]

Personally I think P.106B would have made an excellent aircraft for the RAF. It could have used Blue Vixen radar, a developed RB199 engine and been in service in the mid 1990s. With AMRAAM & Blue Vixen it would have been more than a match for any likely adversary, and been progressively upgraded avionicswise. Hmm... does this sound familiar? ;D

Was the P.106B equipped with a thrust reverser? Drawings I've seen seem to suggest some sort of Tornado-like installation rotated 90 degrees to open up horizontally instead of vertically like on the Tornado.