On 17th January 2006 this £50Mn (ish) Typhoon jet landed at RAF Coningsby, Lincs, when the computer controlling the nose wheel failed to operate. Funded jointly by Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain this plane is way over budget, years late and has multiple problems.Tony Blair claims the Typhoon is the "cornerstone" of Britain's air defence. Two new aircraft carriers ordered by the Navy are each due to carry 36 Typhoons.
Former Tory Defence Secretary John Nott said recently that his decision to go ahead in the early 80's "my biggest mistake", and added "It's a complete waste of money."
Critics say it was designed to fight a now non-existent enemy - the Soviet Union. It is also claimed the development of air-to-air missiles have rendered the Typhoon obsolete.The computer systems are a mess ... the missiles don't fit ...
For a sequence of Power Point pics of this spectacular landing and cool precision of the RAF pilot go here
Go here for detailed Press report
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