Eurofighter "Mudhen" Version versus the F-35...They say it's 90% Better....

I use the above images for a reason.  The decision in Germany is what to replace the Tornado Strike Fighter with...the F-35 or the Typhoon.  The weapons carriage you see is going to be critical in this decision I believe...especially the version carry Brimstone and a couple of Paveways along with a pod.  Why?  Because the plane can perform precision strikes retains its fantastic maneuverability and blistering speed, especially in comparison to the F-35.

But enough of my words.  Check this out via Defense News.

“Stealth is only 10 percent of the capability mix,” Eurofighter marketing chief Raffael Klaschke told Defense News on Wednesday. “We’re still better at the other 90 percent,” he argued, referring to the aircraft’s combat capabilities.

While the company could rest easy with the German Defence Ministry’s recent proclamation that the Eurofighter is the preferred path for the upcoming multibillion-dollar Tornado-replacement program, Lockheed Martin’s massive showing at the air show may have some officials nervous.

Eurofighter CEO Volker Paltzo doubled down on the argument that the Typhoon would guarantee continued vibrancy in the European military aircraft market. “I want to underscore that every euro spent on Eurofighter within Europe stays in Europe,” he told reporters.

Executives also stressed that the European aircraft would come free of any “black boxes,” a reference to the expectation that all technological and operational details would be owned by Europeans, which may not be the case with the F-35

Story here. 

Interesting isn't it?

We already knew about the pushback against stealth...we've seen that even in the US Navy.

What I discounted (and shouldn't have) was the brewing issue of ALIS.  I have yet to see any real benefit to operating forces with regard to that system.  It seems error prone form my seat and needlessly grounds aircraft and has the potential to not only "spy" on allies but also render them helpless when aircraft are needed the most.

What challenges does the Typhoon face?

The Europeans didn't modernize it on a realistic timeline.  They didn't make the move to AESA radar and other advanced electronics as quickly as they should have.

From what I can tell they haven't worked as quickly as they should on next gen engines to keep the plane relevant.

That was then, this is now.

If Germany chooses to change course they could lead the rest of the Eurofighter consortium into a new age while the Europeans work on a 6th gen (skipping 5th gen) fighter.

I don't for one minute believe the F-35 will be in service till 2070.  That would mean that fighter tech has stagnated...that would mean that human technology would stagnate for the next 50 years.  The very idea is insane.

So in reality we're looking at the Europeans being able to take a beat, build an Uber Eurofighter and start work on their 6th gen.

It's doable if they're willing to rise to the challenge.  Even more it makes sense if they can build a proper roadmap.