Chris Pocock has been covering the defense beat for AIN for over 30&nbsp;years. He is a British citizen and a graduate of the University of Cambridge. Chris worked in the air cargo business for ten years before becoming a full-time writer in 1983. He subsequently edited two air cargo journals before becoming AIN’s Defense Editor. He retired from that position in 2018, but still contributes to the publication. Chris has written extensively on aerial reconnaissance, including four books on the history of the U-2 spyplane. He also lectures on this and other topics related to intelligence-gathering in the Cold War.

Defense Correspondent

Chris Pocock

Last week, Jeremy Quinn,&nbsp;UK&nbsp;defence procurement minister,&nbsp;confirmed a £2.35 billion ($2.8 billion) upgrade for the Royal Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoons. The work involves fitting the new <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2022-07-13/typhoons-electronic-attack-radar-course-flight-2023">European Common Radar System Mark 2 (ECRS Mk2)</a> active-array radar, which includes electronic attack functions. The aircraft will also receive Phase 4 software that will provide task-based management to the pilot and other enhancements such as protection against electronic interference.

 


“This is the single biggest capability boost since the introduction of the Typhoon,” said Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston, Chief of the Air Staff. He said that one of the lessons already learned from the war in Ukraine is that electronic attack and defense is a fundamental requirement. Wigston confirmed that the first radar trial set will fly next year, with conversion of the RAF’s entire fleet of Tranche 3 Typhoons by the end of the decade. The Tranche 2 aircraft might follow, but will in any case receive the software update.

 


The RAF plans to retire its Tranche 1 Typhoons by the end of the decade, leaving a fleet of 107 Tranche 2 and 3 jets. Wigston said that those aircraft will continue in service to beyond 2040.&nbsp;

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