22 March 2021
UK Defence Command Paper: RAF to axe older Typhoons
by Gareth Jennings
The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) is to axe its fleet of Tranche 1 Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft, just six years after extending their out-of-service date to 2040 in line with the rest of the fleet.
Having earlier intended to retain 24 of its earlier Tranche 1 Typhoons out to 2040, the UK will now retire them in 2025. (Janes/Patrick Allen)
The Defence Command Paper published on 22 March said that the Tranche 1 jets that were earmarked for retirement by 2019, but of which a number were retained in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) out to 2040, will instead now be retired from 2025.
“The Royal Air Force will retire equipment that has increasingly limited utility in the digital and future operating environment,” the paper said. “This will include rationalising older fleets to improve efficiency, retiring Typhoon Tranche 1 by 2025.”
The RAF has received 53 Tranche 1, 67 Tranche 2, and 40 Tranche 3 Typhoons for a total of 160 aircraft (although by the time 29 of the Tranche 1s had been retired, the service would field a force of 131 Typhoons). The life extension for 24 Tranche 1 jets announced at SDSR 2015 was part of a wider Typhoon life extension from 2030 to 2040.
While these earlier jets are limited to the air defence role due primarily to software limitations, their continued operation has freed up the more advanced Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 aircraft for multirole operations, at the same time as providing ‘Aggressor’ training services to the wider UK armed forces.
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The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) is to axe its fleet of Tranche 1 Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft, j...
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