It has to be seen to be believed; the very first live firing of an MBDA Brimstone air-to-surface missile from a Eurofighter Typhoon.
But now members of the defence community can see for themselves, thanks to newly released footage from BAE Systems.
The successful firing initially took place in mid-July. It forms part a larger package of works designed to enhance the operational capability of the Eurofighter Typhoon; a long-time stalwart of the contemporary air force.
One month on, the trials – carried out via an IPA (Instrumented Production Aircraft) 6 Typhoon at BAE Systems’ Military Air & Information hub in Warton, Lancashire – are still ongoing. A wider programme of works will see the introduction of the Phase 3 Enhancement (P3E) package, bringing state-of-the-art weapons integration and mission system upgrades to the Eurofighter Typhoon.
For the uninitiated, the P3E package forms part of Project Centurion – a brand new initiative which aims to ensure a smooth transition of Tornado GR4-like capabilities to the Eurofighter Typhoon on behalf of the Royal Air Force.
In all, nine live firings and nine jettison trials are to be undertaken over the coming months, with support from the Ministry of Defence, MBDA, QinetiQ, Eurofighter GmbH and the Eurofighter’s partner companies – Airbus and Leonardo.
Following the successful launch, Andy Bradford – MBDA Director of Typhoon Integration – said: “This first firing is a major milestone for both the Brimstone and Typhoon programmes. Together Brimstone and Typhoon will provide the Royal Air Force and other Eurofighter nations with a world-beating strike capability to beyond 2040.”
The newly released footage can be found on BAE Systems’ website.
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