Farnborough 2012: AESA and Meteor plans for Typhoon move forward

Eurofighter officials have finally laid out solid groundwork for the Typhoon's partner nations to move forward with an active electronically scanned-array (AESA, or E-Scan) radar and to integrate the MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile on the aircraft.

Briefing at Farnborough on 10 July, Eurofighter Chief Executive Officer Enzo Casolini said a request for proposals (RfP) for an E-Scan radar fit for the Typhoon had been issued by the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) on behalf of the four Eurofighter nations – Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK – at the beginning of the month.

"The timescale is to answer this [RfP] by October this year and to have an agreement with the nations by the end of the year in order to then allow parliamentary approval, the normal approval process for the nations," said Casolini. "The target is to have a contract by the middle of next year [and] to have an E-Scan entering into service by 2015."

With Meteor integration, meanwhile, Casolini said Eurofighter is "aiming to get into contract by the end of the year".