Typhoon in strike role?

In RAF News, 29 January 2010, pages 22-23, there is an interview with AOC 1 Group, Air Vice Marshall Greg Bagwell.

During the interview he is asked: Will Typhoon go to Afghanistan? AVM Bagwell’s reply is vague to say the least. He says that Typhoons are very busy with meeting the Falklands and the UK QRA commitment. This is obviously true but it doesn’t require the complete Typhoon fleet to meet these two commitments. Whilst less than specific answers to focused questions are open to many interpretations, AVM Bagwell’s vague answer suggests that there still remains many questions about Typhoon being fit for a role it was never intended for.

On return from a training deployment to the USA last year the OC of the Typhoon squadron that went out (I can’t remember which squadron it was), was quoted as saying Typhoon was ready for the strike role. This was apparently not the case and, according to further press reports, he was reprimanded by senior officers for making a false statement.

I have heard it said that the workload in a strike role is too demanding and that some pilots would prefer a two-man crew.

Not withstanding BAe’s high profile marketing and promotional campaign about Typhoon’s multi-role abilities and capabilities, the questions I now pose are: will Typhoon ever be fit-for-purpose in a strike role? Are the delays in getting it to full operational status a reflection on the fact that it is not a suitable platform for such a role? (Remember it was designed specfically to meet an RAF requirement for a dedicated air superiority role in a Cold War senario).