Typhoon Reference Information - UPDATED with corrected Italian Typhoon colours

[Bobski]

The idea of this thread is to provide a central repository for all references or questions about modelling the Typhoon. Quite a few people have requested this, but it's taken me this long to actually find time to sit down and do it!

My first (and biggest) caveats are that I do not claim to be an expert on absolutely everything to do with Typhoon, nor will I will discuss any information that is not already publically available. That said, I hope that this will give people enough useful information to build an accurate Tiffie from any of the partner and customer nations in pretty much any scale. My second caveat is that most of my knowledge is around RAF and Saudi aircraft, as those are the ones we build at Warton, so this is open for people with more knowledge on other nations' jets to fill in any blanks that I have. If you want more detail photographs etc of the Tiffie, I can recommend Andy Evans' book on the subject (although ignore the paint callouts for the Saudi Typhoon as they are completely wrong).

All photographs here are mine unless otherwise stated. Where I have used a photo from Airliners.net, for copyright reasons I have used a link rather than copying the photo and I ask anyone who adds anything else to this thread to do the same. I would also ask that if anyone would like to use my photos for anything other than their own use then please ask me first.

Colours

The following colours are the specific shades for each of the customer or partner nations and are from Eurofighter:

UK Royal Air Force - BS381c-626 (aka Camouflage Grey or "Barley Grey")

German Luftwaffe - FS35237 (this has a slight blueish tint to it)

Spanish Air Force - FS36231

(From www.eurofighter.com)

Italian Air Force - FS36280

Austrian Air Force - FS36231 (the same as the Spanish Air Force)

(From www.eurofighter.com)

Royal Saudi Air Force - Two-tone camouflage - overall BS381c-626 with FS35237 on top

Photo on Airliners.net

While the main airframe colour varies depending on the operator, there are a number of areas where the colours remain the same across all the aircraft, most notably the undercarriage, the radomes and other unpainted areas. The undercarriage is a very light grey, and the radomes all start off something close to RAF Barley Grey, but quickly darken as they weather. To see these unpainted areas more clearly, your best bet is to find some photos of the jets in primer. Here are some links to some good ones:

Pic 1 on Airliners.net

Pic 2 on Airliners.net

Pic 3 on Airliners.net

The primer itself is a orangey-brown colour for most of the airframe (ie the parts made of composite materials), with metal areas in a greeny-yellow colour. Sorry for the scientific terminology there, but I don't have any more details than that!

Variants

Obviously there are two main variants - the single-seat and the twin-seat. Both are fully combat capable, however the twin-seat is used primarily for training and NOT as a twin-seat strike aircraft like the F-15E. Naturally enough, like the F-16 there are sub-variants depending on the Block standard of the aircraft (and in which tranche it was built):

Tranche 1

Blocks 1 and 2 were air defence only aircraft and these jets do not feature the PIRATE FLIR on the nose. Block 5 introduced the PIRATE FLIR and (on RAF machines) a basic air-to-surface capability. The easiest way to tell a Block 5 from the earlier jets in RAF, Italian and Spanish service is to look for the FLIR. If it is there, then it is a Block 5. If it is not, then it is most likely an earlier jet. HOWEVER, the FLIR is removeable, so you might want to check plenty of references to make sure. To complicate things a bit further, the Luftwaffe do not have the FLIR on their jets (other than a few test aircraft), so there is no visible difference between the different aircraft Blocks. For those jets you will need to check the tail numbers.

Tranche 2

Block 8 onwards - all of the RAF, Italian and Spanish aircraft should be delivered with the FLIR, however many fly without it. Your best bet to spot a Tranche 2 jet is to look at the tail number and/or the build date. Any jet that flew for the first time after mid-2008 is a Tranche 2 jet. For the RAF, any single-seat tail number from ZJ944 onwards or ZK3xx is a Tranche 2 jet, as are all the Saudi jets. No RAF Tranche 2 twin-seaters have flown as of May 2010, so I can't tell you what serials they will have.

Weapons

This one is a common one, especially seeing as Revell give you a plethora of air-to-surface stores in their 1/48th and 1/72nd scale kits, so I will go through the stores that can currently be seen flying on the jet, as of May 2010. If I don't mention something then there are three possible reasons - 1) I'm not allowed to say it, 2) It's not being flown on the jet or 3) I simply don't know (like I said, I'm not a complete expert):

RAF:

ASRAAM

AIM-120B AMRAAM

AIM-9L Sidewinder (Very rare and only on BAE Development aircraft)

Paveway II (UK) 1000lb LGB

Paveway IV 500lb LGB (BAE Development aircraft only)

UK 1000lb Iron Bomb

LITENING III Laser Designation Pod (Centreline Only) - Note that the LITENING LDP used on Typhoon is the opposite way round to the one on the F-16 - ie the intake and access panel are on the port side rather than the starboard side. Dr Pepper makes one in this configuration in 1/48th, but to do it in other scales you have to cut off the front section with the seeker head and rotate it through 180 degrees to get it correct.

Luftwaffe:

IRIS-T

AIM-9L Sidewinder (very rare)

AIM-120B AMRAAM

Spanish Air Force & Italian Air Force

IRIS-T

AIM-9L Sidewinder (very rare)

AIM-120B AMRAAM

Austrian Air Force

IRIS-T

External tanks are all the supersonic 1000 litre tanks with integral pylons. They can be carried on the centreline and the centre-wing stations only, and are the same for all customers and partners.

Cockpit - UPDATED

A lot of people (myself included) have quoted "Dark Admiralty Grey", based on the fact that this is used in most other RAF jets, however I've been able to check and this isn't actually correct.

The correct grey for the cockpit tub is FS 36231, with the controls picked out in FS 36081. Reference to photos will help pick out the other colours, and all black areas are matt black. Some photos of the cockpit on Airliners.net can be found at the links below:

Cockpit Pic 1

Cockpit Pic 2

Cockpit Pic 3

The third one is particularly good as the seat as been removed, allowing you to see both of the side consoles.

Ejection Seat

The Typhoon has the Martin Baker Mk.16A ejection seat and it is very different to the Mk.16 seat used in the Rafale and the F-35. For your viewing pleasure, here are some walkaround photos I took of the seat at a recent defence training trade show in London:

Other Info

If you want some good references for Typhoon, then Airliners.net is your friend, as is Andy Evans' book.

If you're looking for aftermarket decals then the following options are available:

TwoBobs do a couple of sheets in 1/48th and 1/32nd - RAF and Italian Tiffies - and they are absolutely superb. The one issue is that the red border around the 'XXX' on the 29 Sqn fuselage markings is incomplete, however this is a minor complaint against an otherwise superb sheet.

The Model Alliance RAF Typhoon sheet has a good selection of serials and squadron markings, however the greys are a little too light and the roundels are the wrong colour. They too have done the 29 Sqn markings incorrectly and have also done the intercept markings on ZJ932 incorrectly as 4 Tu-142 Bears when it should be 2 Bears and 2 Blackjacks.

Model Alliance were first on the market with the Royal Saudi Air Force markings, however sadly they got the colour of the Squadron badge on the tail completely wrong. These can only therefore be used to represent the first aircraft (CS001 / 1001 / ZK060) after it was painted but before it flew for the first time.

Finally there are the decals that come with the Mark 1 Guide book. These are available in every scale from 1/144th up to 1/32nd and include a variety of options, including German and Italian special schemes, the short-lived 1435 Flight Maltese Cross from ZJ950 (it was on the jet for a day) and the (correct) Saudi markings. I've not used these yet, but they look to be pretty good.

For resin accessories, then there are a number of options:

TwoMikes have a selection of items available, including inboard pylons (essential when loading air-to-surface weapons), an APU exhaust and intake covers. These are absolutely superb and I cannot recommend them highly enough - they will really bring your model to life.

Airwaves have just released a set of resin seats for the Typhoon in 1/48th, which are available from Hannants.

Aires are apparently doing a resin cockpit for the Typhoon in 1/48th, and they have done some excellent engine nozzles for the Trumpeter kit in 1/32nd (hopefully these will be followed by some for the Revell kit!)

Finally, Eduard do a variety of detail sets in PE for Typhoons in all scales that can really add detail to your model.

That's about everything from me - I hope that some of you find this useful. Mods - can you make this a "Sticky" please?

Edited May 15, 2019 by Bobski

[aw-boss man]

Thanks for a great reply.

Gary

[Matt Roberts]

Interesting back before the Austrian Eurofighters were to be delivered they were said to be the same as the Luftwaffe colors - Mod Med Gray

[Bobski]

Interesting back before the Austrian Eurofighters were to be delivered they were said to be the same as the Luftwaffe colors - Mod Med Gray

I thought the same, but in all the photos I've seen of them they definitely don't have the blue tint that is so clear on the German aircraft. I looked long and hard at them when I got the info and I believe that it is the Spanish grey and not the German one.

Oh, and to clarify my photo rules (as I've been asked about them). Everyone is free to post whatever Tiffie refs they have in here, I only ask that people only post their own photos, or photos that they have permission to reproduce. Airliners.net photos or other such things should be linked rather than copied.

[otis252]

Hey Guys,

There's a picture I found here and didn't bookmark it and cannot for the life of me find it again. It was of a Typhoon cockpit with the seat removed. Could anyone help. Thanks in advance.

Chuck

[borz666]

MODS!!!! This must be made a Stikky !!!!!! DO IT! DO IT! NOW! COME ON!!!!

Chris

[bootneck]

Hi Bobski, Great idea this thread!

I've posted these before but this looks a good site to re-post to. I had the opportunity to go back to the Falkland Islands last November.

Whilst there I was invited to a walk round of the Typhoon det there. They also buzzed us when we flew home.

I noticed quite a bit of weathering/exhaust stains/rubbing around the area of the cockpit and mid-fuselage.

Typhoon 'Faith' ZJ944 in hanger at Mount Pleasant - note the exhaust/outlet stains mid fuselage

Close up of tail markings on 'Faith'

Cockpit area of 'Faith'

You don't often see this out of your window!

'Charity' coming to have a look

Can you come a bit closer?

bit more...

just a bit more

SMILE! - note the marks/stains below the cockpit area

[Giorgio N]

A small note on the Italian Typhoons colour scheme: these are not in 36440, but should be in 36492. I say should as all the info I have mention this colour, yet in some pictures the plane look darker, as if in the older 36280 overall grey used on other AMI planes.

Landing gears and intakes are in the same 36492, again according to official documents.

[Bobski]

A small note on the Italian Typhoons colour scheme: these are not in 36440, but should be in 36492. I say should as all the info I have mention this colour, yet in some pictures the plane look darker, as if in the older 36280 overall grey used on other AMI planes.

Landing gears and intakes are in the same 36492, again according to official documents.

I got my info from Eurofighter, although admittedly coming from their comms department does not guarantee accuracy! Not being an expert on Italian Tiffies then I'm more than happy to bow to superior knowledge.

Of course, if the Italian Tiffs are 36492, then the Spanish and Austrian ones can't be because they are a different shade of grey. Argh - back to Eurofighter I go!

[daz greenwood]

Hi Bob.

Is it ok to add my pics of the Tiffie to this thread?

[Giorgio N]

I got my info from Eurofighter, although admittedly coming from their comms department does not guarantee accuracy! Not being an expert on Italian Tiffies then I'm more than happy to bow to superior knowledge.

Of course, if the Italian Tiffs are 36492, then the Spanish and Austrian ones can't be because they are a different shade of grey. Argh - back to Eurofighter I go!

I know what you mean, the shade looks different from the spanish yet documents show this is the colour used.. there is definitely something weird going on in the colour of these planes. And more: 36492 is given as the colour of the gear wells, and these do look lighter in most pictures, as this one:

http://www.plane-mad.com/photos/7/7535.jpg

Looking at some pictures where sidewinders are loaded, the overall colour seem to me darker than the 36375 of the winders.. and this brings me back to the 36280 as used on Stafighters and AMX. Should I advice on making a model I'd probably just suggest to use any grey that looks the part....

[Bobski]

Daz - By all means, the more the merrier.

Giorgio - That's the best advice I've had - use a photo as a reference and build to it! I can tell you that 36492 is definitely NOT the colour of the wheel wells and the undercarriage - it's far too dark. The closest I can find to that is either RAF Light Aircraft Grey or FS 36495. To help clear it up I have gone back to Eurofighter and asked them to clarify the colours of the Spanish, Italian and Austrian jets, and will post the response if/when I get it.

EDIT:

I've just found this photo for anyone needing a good shot of the nozzles and back end of a Typhoon: Airliners.net

Edited May 31, 2010 by Bobski

[4scourge7]

I`ll play...here`s some close-ups for the modeller.

Cheers, Ian

[Giorgio N]

Bobski, I stand corrected about the wells interior, I mixed up the 2 greys ..492 and 495. my mistake !

[gary1701]

Ok, I'll put up a few as well. I'll go for a selection that may show some details not covered as yet in this thread although several of the pics have been on here before. The images are from visits to the fence at RAF Coningsby so the Typhoon's are as configured for normal operations and QRA rather than static or flyers at a show. Where the image is at Airliners.net in slightly higher resolution I've also put that link in. I have images of most of the current RAF Typhoon fleet, with a few exceptions (mostly aircraft in long term storage that have been cannibalized and the newer Tranche 2 airframes) and if anybody is after references for a specific airframe I'll see what I can do.

Here's a few of QRA configured Typhoon's from the last couple of years. These are all in the standard 4x AMRAAM and 4x ASRAAM configuration, with twin tanks although the inboard pair of ASRAAM's can be swapped out for extra AMRAAM's (seen on BAe and 17 Sqn aircraft but not - I believe - on RAF QRA aircraft) as a alternative.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Eu...hoon/1259318/L/

http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Eu...hoon/1258768/L/

http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Eu...hoon/1552211/L/

http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Eu...hoon/1285121/L/

Close up's of the live rounds being carried on 3 Sqn aircraft ZJ936/QO-S on the hold, as seen above. What suprised me when I saw them was how beat up the AMRAAM's looked! From what I've seen myself, or from other images on the forums, the QRA jets are drawn from a very small pool of about 5/6 jets, all late Tranche 1 aircraft prior to R2 upgrade although I assume this will change as their numbers are gradually shrinking.

As 'Bobski' says, ZJ932/DB carries some extra markings on the nose, close up below. I think they're still current although the named pilots rank had been removed when I saw this jet last year.

A couple of Italian aircraft - a early Tranche 1 jet and a 2009 shot of one of their latest airframes.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Italy---Air...hoon/1253221/L/

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Italy---Air...hoon/1565880/L/

Not really a decent one for reference, but I like it!

http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Eu...hoon/1562286/L/

Gary

Edited May 31, 2010 by gary1701

[Bobski]

Those are all cracking guys, thanks. Keep them coming so we can try to have the best single source of Typhoon refs!

Incidentally, based on Gary's two shots of the Italian jet, I'd be inclined to use Medium Sea Grey with a dash of white. It won't be "correct", but it would be close to what is in the pictures.

Edited May 31, 2010 by Bobski

[upnorth]

Here are my Typhoon shots. All these were taken at the annual NATO Days event in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

First, RAF machines in 2008:

Both from 3 Sqn. If memory serves correctly, one was a Tranche 1 machine and the other a Tanche 2

These pit shots were of the PIRATE equiped machine:

Now, the Italians in 2009:

In full sun, the grey that is used on the AMI machines looks distinctly lighter and more washed out than in other pictures in this thread. Also of note is how much stenciling is apparent on the AMI birds.

[upnorth]

There are also some great walkarounds on primeportal:

Spanish (very good walkaround here IMO):

http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/bartolom...r_2000_typhoon/

German:

http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/zoltan_p...ighter_typhoon/

http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/luc_coli...r_typhoon_ehlw/

http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/luc_coli...typhoon_t_lfsr/

Preserved German prototype:

http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/luc_coli...urofighter_da1/

http://www.primeportal.net/hangar/howard_m...ghter_2000_da1/

[xffw45343tg]

Bobski - great pictures of the Mk 16 Seat. In Hendon there is a Mk.10L Seat which is captioned as the seat used in the DA2. Is that correct, and am I right in believing that the Typhoons seat is more reclined than the usual for a Mk 10?

[Bobski]

First, RAF machines in 2008:

Both from 3 Sqn. If memory serves correctly, one was a Tranche 1 machine and the other a Tanche 2

There wouldn't have been a Tranche 2 jet there. The first T2 jet flew in August 2008 and deliveries started late 2008 / early 2009 to 17 Sqn. I remember standing in the rain in Warton's car park to watch the first flight, getting completely soaked thanks to a torrential downpour and a very ineffective umbrella!

[upnorth]

There wouldn't have been a Tranche 2 jet there. The first T2 jet flew in August 2008 and deliveries started late 2008 / early 2009 to 17 Sqn. I remember standing in the rain in Warton's car park to watch the first flight, getting completely soaked thanks to a torrential downpour and a very ineffective umbrella!

OK, thanks for the correction. My photos were taken in late September or early October of 2008.

[Bobski]

Bobski - great pictures of the Mk 16 Seat. In Hendon there is a Mk.10L Seat which is captioned as the seat used in the DA2. Is that correct, and am I right in believing that the Typhoons seat is more reclined than the usual for a Mk 10?

Hi Kirk

I believe that DA1 and DA2 both had Mk.10s fitted first and were retrofitted with Mk.16s later. Similarly, both jets first flew with RB199 engines out of a Tornado before being fitted with EJ200s a few years later.

[Seahawk]

A couple of Italian aircraft - a early Tranche 1 jet and a 2009 shot of one of their latest airframes.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Italy---Air...hoon/1253221/L/

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Italy---Air...hoon/1565880/L/

Gary

Interesting that the Italian aircraft carry the name "Typhoon" on the fin. I thought it was only the Brits who use this wickedly emotive name. Is it catching on among the other users?

Nick

[gary1701]

Hi again,

I've photographed these things in varied lighting and they can seem to vary from almost white to very dark grey - I don't envy anybody trying to work out the exact colours as I would not have a clue! Here's a few more pics from the collection that I hope are of some interest.

Shows the results of photographing a Typhoon with a dark sky behind.

The business end of two running EJ2000's.

Looking at the images of those jets in the Czech Republic, they look like ZJ921/QO-H and ZJ927/QO-M, both - as already noted - being Tranche 1 jets although '921 has already undergone the R2 upgrade and is fitted with the PIRATE. I believe '927 is in at Warton for the upgrade now. Here's another couple of shots of them. The first is '921 earlier in it's career when with 29 Sqn.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Eu...hoon/1133601/L/

ZJ927/QO-M in July last year.

Close up of the fin of a jet on the hold at the 25 end. If you look closely you can see the remains of the aircraft's previous coding.

One of the very first block 5 upgrades, note the worn paintwork and LITENING pod on the centreline.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Eu...hoon/1378240/L/

One of the early Tranche 2 jets, conducting chute checks at Coningsby prior to it's first flight in RAF hands - aircraft is now with 1435 Flt.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Eu...hoon/1555218/L/

Obviously not a serious load, this was 17®'s lead jet ready for the 2008 Waddington show.

Another early Tranche 2 jet, they were still arriving with PIRATE fitted at this stage.

Late Tranche 1 twin-stick and the only T3 delivered as such so far.

Another one that's not really a reference shot but I was quite chuffed with.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Eu...hoon/1558514/L/

Gary

Edited June 1, 2010 by gary1701

[AnonymousER99]

Topic Pinned. Thanks Bobski for taking the time to add all of this very useful iformation!