A Luftwaffe Eurofighter seen at ILA 2024 in Berlin. To mark the event, the consortium announced that NETMA had signed off on the system definition phase of the latest P4E upgrade for the jet. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)
The NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) has finalised the system definition phase of the Phase 4 Enhancement (P4E) upgrade for the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Announced at the ILA Berlin Air Show on 5 June, the milestone paves the way for the next raft of enhancements for the Eurofighter, including the human-machine interface (HMI), defensive aids, and the E-Scan active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars now being developed across the four-country consortium. It will also examine extending the service life of the aircraft out into the 2060s.
“The P4E package is central to achieving [the Eurofighter's] mission – providing users with an improved cockpit, powerful sensors, and enhanced electronic warfare (EW) capabilities,” said Giancarlo Mezzanatto, CEO of Eurofighter.
Eurofighter did not provide a precise breakdown of what P4E will involve, but it has previously been reported to include E-Scan radar integration. With Kuwait and Qatar fielding the ECRS Mk 0 radar, Germany and Spain will field the ECRS Mk 1, with Italy and the UK fielding the ECRS Mk 2. While Oman has said it will retrofit an E-Scan radar onto its aircraft at an undisclosed ‘later date', it has not said which radar, and Saudi Arabia has not revealed its intent regarding E-Scan integration. However, both will likely adopt the ECRS Mk 2, given their close ties to the UK.
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