{"id":1099899,"date":"2026-07-20T04:29:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T04:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1099899\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T04:29:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T04:29:16","slug":"eurofighter-typhoon-tranche-4-takes-flight-giving-europe-a-powerful-new-rival-to-russias-su-35-and-su-57","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1099899\/","title":{"rendered":"Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 4 Takes Flight, Giving Europe a Powerful New Rival to russia’s Su-35 and Su-57"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 4 built under the Quadriga program has completed its maiden flight in Germany. Manufactured by Airbus, the aircraft is destined for the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) and represents the most advanced production version of the Eurofighter to date.<\/p>\n

The aircraft is part of Germany’s order for 58 new Eurofighter Typhoons. The Luftwaffe initially ordered 38 aircraft in 2020 and expanded the order with another 20 in 2025. Deliveries are scheduled to begin later in 2026 and continue through 2030.<\/p>\n

Read more: <\/b>New Orders Keep Eurofighter Typhoon Production Running Until Sixth-Generation Fighter Production Must Begin <\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

From Defense Express’s perspective, the timeline is notable. The first flight came roughly six years after the initial contract, reflecting the time required to develop the new variant. Once production reaches full pace, however, Airbus is expected to deliver approximately 14 aircraft per year over the following four years.<\/p>\n

Those are solid production rates, especially considering that much of the program’s schedule was devoted to developing the new configuration. Under the Quadriga program, the new aircraft will gradually replace the Luftwaffe’s aging Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 1 fleet.<\/p>\n

\"EurofighterECRS Mk 1 AESA Radar \/ Illustration by HENSOLDT<\/p>\n

The most significant upgrade introduced with Tranche 4 is the ECRS Mk 1 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. Compared with earlier mechanically scanned radars, it offers greater detection range, faster target acquisition, improved tracking accuracy, and better performance against small or low-observable targets, including modern cruise missiles and stealth aircraft.<\/p>\n

The new radar also improves resistance to electronic warfare and enhances the aircraft’s overall situational awareness. Combined with the Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, the upgraded Eurofighter Typhoon could become a formidable opponent for Russian fighters such as the Su-35 and Su-57. The radar upgrade also strengthens the aircraft’s air-to-ground capabilities by improving target detection and engagement during precision strike missions.<\/p>\n

\"EurofighterDemonstration of the New Eurofighter Typhoon Cockpit \/ Photo credit: BAE Systems<\/p>\n

Other improvements include upgrades across the avionics suite and a redesigned cockpit featuring large-area displays. Germany’s final configuration has not yet been fully disclosed, as Tranche 4 is being customized to meet the requirements of individual operators. Germany and Spain will receive the ECRS Mk 1 radar, while the United Kingdom has selected the more advanced ECRS Mk 2.<\/p>\n

Germany has also ordered 20 Eurofighter Typhoons in the future<\/a> Tranche 5 configuration. Those aircraft are expected to enter service in the 2030s, with deliveries planned through 2035, which is unsurprising given that the variant is still under development.<\/p>\n

\"EurofighterLuftwaffe Eurofighter Typhoon \/ Photo credit: Eurofighter GmbH<\/p>\n

Read more: <\/b>\u200bEurofighter Set for Aerodynamic Upgrade to Carry New Weapons, Including Storm Shadow Replacement<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The first Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 4 built under the Quadriga program has completed its maiden flight in Germany.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1099900,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5174],"tags":[2000,299,5187],"class_list":["post-1099899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-eu","tag-eu","tag-europe","tag-european"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116950427343837036","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1099899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1099899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1099899\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1099900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1099899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1099899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1099899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}