Los británicos debaten sobre el futuro del Eurofighter:
However, deploying Typhoon to support troops in Afghanistan will likely take several years. For the U.K., shifting Typhoon into combat is not a top priority: The British military relies on Tornados and Harriers to do much of the fast-jet heavy lifting in Afghanistan. Instead, London is trying to sort out its exact Typhoon plans, which will hinge on force-mix decisions made during the upcoming strategic defense review.
...
But even before the review is finished, the U.K. is hoping to convince its Eurofighter partners—Germany, Italy and Spain—to underwrite a new round of Typhoon upgrades, known as the Future Capabilities Program 2 (FCP2) or Phase 2 Enhancement Program (P2E).
...
Marrying Meteor to Typhoon is expected to be “relatively low risk,”says Innes, and is not linked to a potential upgrade of the fighter's radar.
...
Moreover, while several Typhoon buyers have shown interest in the 250-lb.-class Small-Diameter Bomb, the RAF is looking to have that requirement addressed through elements of the Spear weapons project.
...
U.K. officials indicate there is interest in putting an AESA on Tranche 2 Typhoons, although that could be a costly undertaking because the aircraft do not yet have the power and cooling provisions of Tranche 3As
...
Exactly when the Tranche 1 aircraft will go out of service is under review, with the U.K. hoping to extend the certified airframe life beyond the original 6,000 hr. Service-life issues are particularly acute for the nation because its Typhoons average around 30 hr. a month, far more than the aircraft's other operators.
What is clear is that the Tranche 1 costs will increase during the next decade, and there is little interest in upgrading them to a Tranche 2-like standard. However, unlike Italy, for example, the RAF does not plan to offer its Tranche 1s for sale.
...
In the meantime, the RAF should see small upgrades next year to its Tranche 2 aircraft, under the FCP1A (or Phase 1 Enhancement A) initiative, which includes improved electronic warfare capabilities and communications. Two years later, FCP1B would follow, with the full integration of the Litening 3 targeting pod and clearance of the Paveway 4 laser-guided/GPS-augmented bomb.
De aquí se pueden extraer algunas cosas interesantes, como que meterle la antena AESA a la T2 no es tan sencillo (ni barato) como parecía, ya que no tiene la misma capacidad de potencia ni de refrigeración que la T3a. También es interesante el interés por ampliar la vida útil por encima de las 6000 horas, y cómo no, el supuesto interés de los italianos por vender sus T1. Esto último puede restar ventas de aparatos nuevos en países como Rumanía, a los cuales un avión de "segunda mano" les vendría de perlas. El misil Meteor sí parece fácil de integrar, y posiblemente sea de lo poco que se le mejore a la T1.