The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed and is manufactured by a consortium of consisting of three companies; EADS, Alenia Aeronautica and BAE Systems, who conduct the majority of affairs dealing with the project through a joint holding company, Eurofighter GmbH, which was formed in 1986. The project is managed by the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency, which also acts as the prime customer.

Development of the aircraft effectively began in 1983 with the Future European Fighter Aircraft programme, a multinational collaborative effort between Germany, France, UK, Italy and Spain. Due to disagreements over design authority and operational requirements, France left the consortium to independently develop the Dassault Rafale instead. A technology demonstration aircraft, the British Aerospace EAP, first took flight on 6 August 1986; the first prototype of the finalised Eurofighter made its first flight on 27 March 1994. The name of the aircraft, Typhoon, was formally adopted in September 1998; the first production contracts were signed that same year.

Political issues in the partner nations significantly protracted the Typhoon's development; the sudden end of the Cold War reduced European demand for fighter aircraft, and there was debate over the cost and work share of the Eurofighter. The Typhoon was introduced into operational service in 2003. Currently, the type has entered service with the Austrian Air Force, the Italian Air Force, the German Air Force, the Royal Air Force, the Spanish Air Force, and the Royal Saudi Air Force. The Royal Air Force of Oman has also been confirmed as an export customer, bringing the procurement total to 571 aircraft as of 2013.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a highly agile aircraft, designed to be an effective dogfighter when in combat with other aircraft; later production aircraft have been increasingly more well-equipped to undertake air-to-surface strike missions and to be compatible with an increasing number of different armaments and equipment. The Typhoon saw its combat debut during the 2011 military intervention in Libya with the Royal Air Force and the Italian Air Force, performing reconnaissance and ground strike missions in the theatre. The type has also taken primary responsibility for air defense duties for the majority of customer nations.

Hasegawa is one of several companies to do a Typhoon and since it was, I believe, the most recent one to reach the market, one would assume it is the most accurate.

The kit is well detailed to Hasegawa's usual standards. The cockpit consists of a tub with control stick, throttle lever, five piece bang seat and a nicely done instrument panel. Decals are used for instruments. The forward canards are held in place by pins and can be moved. The kit will require nose weight and while the amount is not provided, there is plenty of space for it. The rather complex intake structure is nicely represented. Both full open and full closed burner cans are also provided. I wonder if, like the F-14, one is normally open and one normally closed on the ground.

In order to also do the two seater, there is a separate upper fuselage spine that incorporates the speed brake. This can be displayed open if one so wishes. The landing gear is well done and Hasegawa provides the option of closed gear for an in-flight model, though one will need to find a pilot figure. An optional extended or closed in flight refueling probe is also provided, which is a nice touch. The canopy can be displayed open or closed as well.

There are a bevy of things to put under the wings. One will need to open holes for the various pylons, of course. You have weapons here that I've never heard of including Taurus and Storm Shadow, which are quite large. AMRAAMs are provided as ar a pair of 1000 litre fuel tanks. You also have Meteor missiles, AIM-9Ls, IRIS-T and ASRAAMs. Of course, you cannot install all of these at the same time so you are provided with several diagrams showing what can go where. The end result will be a pretty heavily loaded aircraft.

Instructions are on par with current Hasegawa offerings and provide the usual Gunze paint references. Both markings options are in overall FS 36375, according to the instructions, with the radome and some other bits in the slightly darker FS 36270. I am sure there are RAF BSC 321 equivalents for these shades, but the instructions are mum in that regard. The instructions state that both aircraft are display planes from the 2015 season with quite different markings. (Note: I have been told that the black tail one is from 2014) The large tail markings and those for the canards are supplied as ready to apply decals. Sometimes Hasegawa supplied just the markings to allow one to paint the background, but not in this case. A full data/stencil suite is also provided. One needs to study the instructions prior to painting as some bits, such as the canards, would be better left off the airframe until after the decals have been applied.

Both schemes are really quite nice and regardless of which option is chosen, I am certain that the result will be a very nice model. Those wishing a bit more detail will be able to get what they need from various aftermarket sources.

July 2016

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