On June 17, the German government announced that it had agreed to fund the supply of radars with active electronic antenna (EASA) intended to modernize the current fleet of 110 Eurofighter combat aircraft Typhoon in service with the Luftwaffe. If Airbus will be responsible for integrating the new AESA radars on board fighter planes, it is the German electronics manufacturer Hensoldt which will take on the biggest workload, with a share of around 1,5 billion euros. Hensoldt will in fact be responsible for the development and production of this new radar, which should drastically improve the combat performance of the Typhoon. Through this contract, Germany is the first nation in the Eurofighter consortium to embark on the modernization of the CAPTOR radar of the Typhoon.
On the surface, this is good news for the European system. However, this contract entrusted to Hensoldt further complicates the clarity of the technological offer surrounding the Eurofighter Typhoon. While the Rafale French or the American Super Hornet and F-35 articulate their combat system around an efficient and continually evolving AESA radar, the Eurofighter Typhoon sees the proliferation of AESA antenna integration programs intended for the various members of the Eurofighter consortium and their export customers. At the risk of complicating the logistics of the aircraft, increasing the costs of its updates and restricting the overall performance of its radar antennas.
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