Typhoon Almost totalled

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The UK had identified a requirement for a new fighter as early as 1971. A specification, AST 403, issued by the Air Staff in 1972, resulted in a conventional "tailed" design known as P.96, which was presented in the late 1970s. While the design would have met the Air Staff's requirements, the UK air industry had reservations as it appeared to be very similar to the F/A-18 Hornet, which was then well advanced in its development. The design had little potential for future growth, and when it entered production it would secure few exports in a market in which the Hornet would be well established.[7] Simultaneously, by 1979 the West German requirement for a new fighter had led to the development of the TFK-90 concept.[8] This was a cranked delta wing design with forward canard controls and artificial stability. Although the British Aerospace designers rejected some of its advanced features such as vectoring engine nozzles and vented trailing-edge controls, they agreed with the overall configuration.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine multi-role canard-delta wing strike fighter aircraft. It is being designed and built by a consortium of three separate partner companies - Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems and EADS - working through a holding company Eurofighter GmbH which was formed in 1986. The project is managed by NETMA (the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency) which acts as the prime customer.[4] As early as 1979, studies began into what would become the Eurofighter Typhoon.

The series production of the Eurofighter Typhoon is now underway. The aircraft has entered service with the British Royal Air Force, the German Luftwaffe (Jagdgeschwader 74),[5] Italian Air Force, and Spanish Air Force. Austria has purchased 15 Typhoons and Saudi Arabia has signed a GB£4.43 billion (approx. €6.4 billion c. 2007) contract for 72 aircraft.[6]