Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft of the German Air Force. Photo: Scramble
Eurofighter Typhoon is a 4th generation multi-role fighter jointly researched and developed by a joint venture between Germany, Spain, England and Italy. The standard Eurofighter Typhoon variant has a length of 15.96m, a wingspan of 10.95m, and a height of 5.28m. The aircraft has an empty weight of 11,000kg and a maximum takeoff weight of 23,500kg, a maximum speed of 2,390km/h, a flight ceiling of 20km and a range of nearly 1,400km. 13 hardpoints on the wings and abdomen allow it to carry a total of about 8 tons of weapons. Although it is only a 4th generation fighter, it has the “stealth” feature of a 5th generation fighter, thanks to being made from synthetic fiber materials that help keep the radar reflection area small.
Meanwhile, the Tranche 4 variant will be distinguished by an additional fuel tank for increased range, updated fire control software, an active phased array (AESA) radar system, and improved defense systems. upgrade. Previously, the German Air Force had left open the possibility of equipping up to 90 Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 4 aircraft.
* South Korea offers K9 Thunder artillery to the US
Theo Breaking DefenseSouth Korea’s Hanwha Defense wants to provide the US military with the K9 Thunder self-propelled artillery line to fill the gap in the US artillery force after Washington abandoned the development of a long-range artillery model.
Specifically, in March, the US Army announced the cancellation of the Extended Range Long-Barreled Artillery (ERCA) project, which was announced in 2015 with the purpose of developing a new self-propelled artillery model with a range of 70km. further than the Paladin M109A7 – the current main artillery line of the US military, to catch up with modern artillery models from Russia and China. The reason may be due to “many technical challenges”.
South Korea’s K9 Thunder self-propelled gun. Photo: Asian Military Review
Therefore, instead of continuing to pursue “something new”, the US Army turned to researching “existing things”, both at home and abroad, to own a long-range artillery system like the target. set out in the ERCA project. In fiscal year 2025, this force will spend $55 million on finding and developing increased-range artillery.
Seizing this opportunity, Hanwha Defense will organize the introduction of the K9 Thunder self-propelled gun, expected at an event in the capital Seoul or at the Yuma training ground (Arizona state, USA) depending on the specific situation. The exact time has not been announced by the Korean side.
Considered one of the best tracked self-propelled guns in the world, the K9 Thunder has been in service with the Korean army since 1999 and is currently in service in many countries such as Turkey and Poland. , India, Finland, Norway… The system’s main weapon is a 155mm cannon capable of firing all NATO standard bullets. Thanks to the integration of an automatic loading system, the cannon can fire at a rate of fire of about 6 rounds/minute. One of the outstanding features of the K9 Thunder is the multiple shot mode with different launch doses and angles (MSI) to hit the target almost at the same time at a maximum range of 40km with regular bullets and 52km with tank bullets. range.
MINH ANH(synthetic)