The multi-role strike fig'hter airplane, the Eurofighter Typhoon (Ger. Taifun, It. Tifone, Sp. Tifon) is, and will probably remain for many years to come, the peak achievement of the European aerospace and arms industries. The initial concept works on the new generation fighter planes were undertaken by Western European countries already in the 1970s. The proper development of the Future European Fighter Aircraft (F/EFA) was initiated in early 1980s, but quickened only in January 1994, when the British, German, Italian and Spanish chiefs of staff (France withdrew from the program much earlier) established the operational requirements of the new aircraft. It was to be a two-engine one-seater aircraft (with the two-seater training-tactical option) capable of destroying both aerial targets on long distances and short distance maneuver warfare, as well as ground and surface attacks. The latest technical achievements and the most advanced technologies were employed in its construction. The aircraft was to be distinguished, amongst others, by the versatility of its basic version (i.e. there was not any need to design specialized versions), high reliability, significant resistance to damages and low running costs.
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