Just that the UK has already said that it will fund integration of Brimstone and Storm Shadow, and is showing signs of being willing to move forward autonomously if quadrinational agreement cannot be reached.

I believe that a UK future capability roadmap was finalised last week, and hope to report on that soon.

In any event, as I said before, I think we’ll learn about a rapid weapons integration capability on Typhoon within the next two weeks. I believe that this will, or could, render all of the agonising over the four-nation future capabilities roadmap irrelevant, and could present the UK with a ‘plan C’, or an alternative route to ‘plan B’.

Cheers, Jackonicko. I believe this was something BAE Systems were going to explain in a conference squashed by Eurofighter GmbH?

Not much time to reply in proper, but thanks anyway.

My girlfriend was at work, HMV, today for just three hours, so I had to take that amount of short time to think up some evil things to do.

One of which. Shes due a new Mac Notebook to be picked up from the Apple store anyday now (her old one got damaged internally beyond repair, she spilt a full pint of milk all over the keyboard and now its Kaput, but the exterior is in mint condition) and luckily, our best mate bought one on Friday, the same model my girlfriend will be getting and the same model as the broken one. So I asked her (our mate) if I could lend all of the packaging, manuels, paper work, plugs, the Apple carry bag, the lot. So I started to wonder what I could do to the Mac. I couldn’t just put it in all the packaging without doing something to it first, and what do you know, I had a full tube of Super Glue. So I proceeded to glue the Mac shut, give it a little polish to give it that little bit more sparkle and placed it all in the correct packaging with everything else, the full works. It looked fresh from the store.

So, she rang me when she finished work to see how things were & all. And I told her that I got a call on our house phone from the Apple store in Newcastle saying her new Mac is ready for collection. And with me being a Gentleman :diablo: I said I’d went down to collect it on her behalf, plus I hadn’t much else to do and it’s a beautiful day outside. She was incredibly thankful (I WAS on a promise tonight, if you know what I mean. *wink-wink*)

So as it were she was very, very, very excited to get back home to get loose on her “new” Mac and the inevitable was about to happen…

…To cut the long story short. It was quite an experience, a lot of anger, hatred, abusive language and general displeasure was thrown in my general direction…Including the Mac and some of the contents…But it was funny and being the lovely lass she usually is, she seen the funny side of it…After about half an hour or so later. :diablo:

Was it rude of me to ask if my promise was still on offer tonight? She said something along the lines of, “Fek off, you limey wanka rectum hole booby face, pwik, fanny”…Or something.

Oh, and I tied her underwear (*Cough* “bedroom ones” *cough*) to the front door too! :diablo:

Hmmm yes, and your lot always needs a certain aircraft to compare with their little wonder toy, don’t they. Give it a rest.

In ‘Typhoon only discussions’ (See how these three words add up?), has there been anything new from DefExpo ’12?

Breaking News:

Canada to withdraw from F-35 programme. Will consider F-18F and F-15 variants as an alternative.

I know someone that has a few spare Tranche 1 Typhoons…Aye, aye! Nudge, nudge! Wink, wink!*

A few months, or weeks or even days, ago I’d say I’d be very surprised if Canada pulled out of the F-35 programme, today, after seeing how much this programme is costing, up to now $1.51 trillion and the aircraft is only 20% complete at this stage, I wouldn’t be surprised if Canada sees sense and pulls out. I wouldn’t be surprised if Japan drops their orders, too.

I notice Lockheed Martin have quickly got shot of their “Affordable Fighter” saying. *Giggle*

Talk about most of your own side first before you mention the Typhoon lot, Opit. As you lot like to announce, this is a >’Place aircraft name here'< thread after all. So it might be a good idea to ‘Hop Back’ to the Rafale thread if you haven’t got anything worth reading about.

Could you elaborate about UK’s ‘plan B’, Jackonicko?

Eagle1, regarding milestones or what is often looked upon as “lacking” is rather exaggerated. In actual fact, the Typhoon has over the years accomplished many milestones, they can often be easily over-looked especially considering a lot of them haven’t been widely reported or aren’t thought to be anything major. Major or not, they still represent the definition.

Milestones accomplished are considered to be, for example;

~ June 2003 – International Type Acceptance achieved on June 30th.
~ Delivery of the first series production aircraft, GT003, to the Luftwaff.
~ Start of integration of Meteor following ‘fit and form’ trials on IPA1 at BAE Systems Warton.
~ DA7 completes a number of key weapons tests including AIM-9L and ASRAAM firing trials.
~ DA1 completes the first series of A/G weapons flight tests with 2,000lb CBU-10.
~ IPA4 confirmed that it came well with the contracted 11-ton basic mass empty (BME) requirement.
~ Delivery of IT001 Typhoon to Cameri Air Base, Italy.
~ Maiden flight of IPA4, also with enhanced standard EJ200 tested for the first time on this flight.
~ Completion of the first series of in-flight gun trials of BK-27, and first air launch of IRS-T.
~ First Luftwaffe Typhoon Squadron, JG 73 Steinhoff recieves first aircraft Rostock-Laage.
~ Maiden flight of GS002, first single seat series production Typhoon. October 2004.
~ IPA2 successfully completed the first night time AAR exercises.
~ Conclusion of cold environmental trials in Sweden.
~ Successful AMRAAM guided firing trials at QinetQ range at Benbecula, Outer Hebridges.
~ EADS/CASA Military Aircraft began long-term tests under operational conditions on Typhoon at Ejercito del Aire base, Moron.
~ Deliveries of production aircraft the four partner nations exceeded 50 units.
~ IPA4 began environmental trials in Southern Spain, IPA4 was required to make over 40 flights in extremely high temperatures.
~ First flight with Phase 4 software and three external tanks.
~ Campaign of flutter test flights completed with DA3 at Decimomannu Air Base.
~ Succesful firing of AIM-9L.
~ Assessments of AAR handling qualities completed.
~ Hand over of ASTA building to the Luftwaffe, at JG 74, Neuburg.
~ October 2005 – First flight of upgraded avionics software.
~ November 2005 – AMI surpassed 1,000 operational flying hours while entire in-service fleet achieved a combined 5,000 flying hours.
~ EADS began began first in the series of heavy weapons trials with IPA3.
~ First early c*ckpit trainers of the ASTA programme were delivered to the German and Spanish Air Forces. April 2006.
~ IPA1 conducted the first flight with Phase 5 flight control software.
~ First A/G weapon release, CBU-16, from IPA4, Spain. May 2006.
~ IPA1 conducted heavy loads trials at BAE Systems Warton.
~ Eurofighter GmbH and NETMA signed the Austere Contract for integrating a LDP and the EPII on RAF Typhoons. June 2006.
~ JG 24, Neuburg, become the second wing to recieve Typhoon.
~ Second Typhoon destined for the Austrian Air Foirce, AS002, began final assembly. July 2006.
~ First Tranche 2 Typhoon begin final assembly in Germany and the UK.
~ Delivery of 100th series production aircraft, BS002, to the RAF.
~ Four nation flight test fleet achieved the 5,000th Typhoon flight.
~ Eurofighter ASTA team completed the acceptence testing of software load 1.0 in Manching.
~ Start of Retroit R2 programme.
~ First flight of a Block 5 Series Production Aircraft (SS011) at Moron, Spain.
~ 3,000th test hour flown achieved on PMAFT (Production Major Airframe Fatigue Test).
~ IPA1 achieved first firing of an AMRAAM C5.
~ Type Acceptance of the Block 5 standard aircraft.
~ First ASRAAM firings from an RAF front-line service Typhoon.
~ NETMA and Eurofighter GmbH signed the first batch of enhancements for the Typhoon contract. (Extension of capabilities)
~ SS011, first Block 5 aircraft, delivered to the Ejercito del Aire.
~ First flight of initial export Typhoon, AS001, for the Austrian Air Force.
~ New campaign of Meteor testing begins at EADS/CASA, Spain, with IPA4.
~ IPA4 reaches the 5,000th flight hour on behalf of the flight test fleet.
~ Four partner air forces achieved a combined 20,000 flight hours.
~ E-Scan radar was carried for the first time on Typhoon, DA5 flying out of Manching. May 2007.
~ IPA2 continued data-gathering trilas with Meteor.
~ RAF assigned two Typhoons to 24hr QRA duties at RAF Coningsby.
~ AS001 delivered to the Austrian Air Force making it the fifth Typhoon user.
~ Second Typhoon delivered to the Austrian Air Force base at Zeltweg.
~ First Tranche 2 EJ200 flight tested on IPA2 at Caselle, Italy.
~ Eurojet GmbH delivered the 400th EJ200.
~ RAF makes first in-service bomb drop with laser guidance provided by by Litening III pod on BT005.
~ Maiden flight of IPA6 from BAE Systems Warton, first aircraft with Tranche 2 avionics.
~ Eurofighter GmbH sign contractual documents with BAE Systems to supply 72 Typhoons to Saudi Arabia.
~ First Tranche 2 Typhoon, IPA7, makes it’s first flight from Manching, Germany. January 2008.

Much more has been achieved from June 2003 to January 2008. Other milestones from the latter date seemed to have had much more coverage and are easier to find.

The likes of P1E will be a major milestone, probably the biggest since Typhoon’s maiden flight, and will no doubt be a huge boost regarding Typhoon’s capabilities.

Typhoon could (in theory) only carry two 550lb class AASMs on stations 3 and 4, two per station. Not the three (or six) that is usually seen on Rafale during peace time. I say peace time because I’ve only come across pictures of Rafales carrying no more than four during the likes of Afghanistan & Libya.

And I say two AASMs each on Typhoon’s stations 3 & 4 because these two stations are cleared for weights of up to 1,300lb+. So not quite three each but two is enough. Other A/G hardpoints such as the wet stations and the two most inner ones (5, 6, 7 & 8) could easily carry three AASMs each as they’re cleared for weights up to 3,100+lb and 2,800+lb, respectively. I don’t think clearence would be a problem for the 550lb class weapons.

As much as I would like Typhoon to have AASM integrated, I believe we’d witness the SDB series and Pilum weapons before then.