April 11, 2013 by Craig Hoyle – FG
London - BAE Systems has conducted first windtunnel tests to assess the suitability of integrating Boeing's AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile with the Eurofighter Typhoon.
An image released by the UK company showing a model of the Typhoon reveals the combat aircraft carrying three of the air-launched weapons. In this configuration, one would be carried on the aircraft's centre-fuselage stores station - ordinarily reserved for an external fuel tank - and two more beneath its wing.
BAE says the test activity is intended to assess the aerodynamic characteristics of carrying the Harpoon. "This testing will help to de-risk the clearance process for such weapons to be integrated onto the Typhoon," it adds.
The availability of an air-launched anti-ship weapon with the Typhoon could be of interest to potential customers, such as Malaysia, and to prospective buyers in the Middle East.
The Eurofighter consortium in 2011 released artwork depicting the aircraft carrying Saab RBS 15 missiles (above), as part of an effort to market the type as a potential aircraft carrier-based strike asset for the Indian navy.
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