A model of a Halcon II Eurofighter displayed at IFC 2023. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)
The Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft to be delivered to the Spanish Air and Space Force (Ejército del Aire y del Espacio: EdAE) under the Halcon II procurement programme will be at the Tranche 4+ standard, Airbus confirmed on 6 November.
Speaking at the IQPC International Fighter Conference (IFC) in Madrid, Marco Gumbrecht, head of Combat Air Systems, Airbus Defence and Space, said that with 20 Halcon I aircraft to be built at the Tranche 4 standard, the 25 Halcon II aircraft “will need to deliver more”.
As previously outlined by the Eurofighter consortium, Tranche 4 for Spain's Halcon I and Germany's Quadriga buy is defined by the inclusion of the European Common Radar System Mark 1 (ECRS Mk1/Radar 1) active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. Tranche 5, which would logically follow Tranche 4, takes this AESA radar and adds elements of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) package.
Gumbrecht told Janes that Tranche 4+ that will sit between these two standards will essentially be Tranche 4, “plus some improvements”. While the Halcon II is now set at the Tranche 4+ standard, Gumbrecht said that if LTE is ready by the time of production then this will be incorporated into the jets, effectively making them Tranche 5 standard.
The LTE plan includes enhancements to the aircraft's Eurojet EJ200 powerplant, new mission system architecture, improved defensive aids, a touchscreen large-area display cockpit, new adaptive power, and cooling techniques to facilitate the integration of advanced weapons, greater connectivity, as well as structural changes to improve the aircraft's aerodynamics and manoeuvrability.
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