BAE Plans First Powered Flight Tests of Storm Shadow Missile on Typhoon
WARTON, England — BAE Systems expects to conduct the first powered flight tests of the Storm Shadow cruise missile on a Typhoon fighter as June 13 as part of key weapons capability enhancements for the jet-gain momentum, according to company officials.
Integration of the standoff missile is part of a Typhoon Phase 2 Enhancements (P2E) program, which also includes the addition of the Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile and other capability improvements to the jet.
Two live separations of the Storm Shadow have already been conducted, but the firing will be the first powered release of the missile from a Typhoon.
Fitted to the Tornado, the Storm Shadow has been widely used operationally by the Royal Air Force (RAF) but the strike jet is scheduled to go out of service in 2019.
Typhoon is already conducting operations over Syria and Iraq striking Islamic State group targets with the Raytheon Paveway IV precision-guided bomb.
The RAF is scheduled to undertake tests of the Storm Shadow in Warton, England, toward the end of this year with operational evaluation trials at RAF Coningsby due to get started in early 2017, according to Andy Flynn, BAE’s Eurofighter contract delivery director and the executive responsible for the Centurion program, which aims to transition capabilities from the Tornado to the Typhoon ahead of the former going out of service.
Other Storm Shadow operators — the weapon is also used by Italian and Saudi Arabian Tornadoes — will have access to the product for use on their own Typhoons along a similar timeline.
A further program, known as PE3, is working to add the Brimstone 2 missile to Typhoon’s growing list of weapons capabilities.
Typhoon is built by the Eurofighter consortium involving BAE, Leonardo-Finmeccanica, and Airbus Defence and Space. All the weapons are made by MBDA. The additional weapons are a critical part of the Centurion program.
Briefing reporters on the program at the home of BAE’s Military Air and Information business at Warton, Flynn said he was confident the updates were on course to allow Royal Air Force Typhoon crews to be ready to take over the Tornado role by the end of 2018.
Work on the Meteor introduction into service is also progressing as part of the P2E program.
The BAE executive said that four missiles have been flight tested and a further two firings are planned over ranges in Scotland closer to the end of 2016.
The final part of the weapons upgrade — the addition of the Brimestone 2 — to the Typhoon inventory is taking shape under the PE3 element of the enhancement plan
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