EBJ1248650 From United States of America, joined Jun 2005, 1932 posts, RR: 2 Posted (5 years 9 months 1 week 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 3389 times:
I understand the Royal Air Force doesn't intend to use the cannon designed for the Eurofighter Typhoon, but I've yet to see a photo of one of these airplanes in service with any of the other countries employing it where the cannon appears to be installed. I know the cannon is found on the right side of the airplane, adjacent to the fuselage and the barrel extends into a fairing on the right wing leading edge. There's no opening in any of the fairings I've seen, which leads me to believe the cannon isn't installed or the opening is covered to prevent FOD to the cannon barrel.
Can someone shed some light on what's going on here? I understand the Typhoon has passed the tests associated with the cannon and it's cleared for service with the user air forces.
DL021 From United States of America, joined exactly 9 years ago today! , 11433 posts, RR: 81 Reply 1, posted (5 years 9 months 1 week 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 3388 times:
The cannon is installed on all aircraft. They thought about using some ballast substitute, but it worked out to be less expensive to leave the thing in there. The RAF is evidently not going to use it because they want to save money. SOme accountant decided that the airplane would never need a gun, thus proving that people who don't read history are doomed to repeat it, and ensured that the RAF will lose an airplane one day to close air-air combat or that some Para or Marine on the ground is going to die because the RAF aircraft overhead will be winchester without a gun....
As far as I know the rest of the ordering services will be training to use the thing and will support it logistically.
EBJ1248650 From United States of America, joined Jun 2005, 1932 posts, RR: 2 Reply 2, posted (5 years 9 months 1 week 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 3380 times:
Quoting DL021 (Reply 1): The cannon is installed on all aircraft. They thought about using some ballast substitute, but it worked out to be less expensive to leave the thing in there. The RAF is evidently not going to use it because they want to save money. SOme accountant decided that the airplane would never need a gun, thus proving that people who don't read history are doomed to repeat it, and ensured that the RAF will lose an airplane one day to close air-air combat or that some Para or Marine on the ground is going to die because the RAF aircraft overhead will be winchester without a gun....
As far as I know the rest of the ordering services will be training to use the thing and will support it logistically.
Thanks for the reply. I presume the barrel opening is left covered, then, until a mission is flown that requires actual cannon use.
ArniePie From Belgium, joined Aug 2005, 1265 posts, RR: 1 Reply 3, posted (5 years 9 months 1 week 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 3370 times:
I was under the impression that all these proposals (not installing/ installing but not using) where ultimately reversed and nowadays the RAF has a full working cannon that can be used and they do also train with it.
Just something I seem to have read in a magazine or on PPRUNE or on the forums of Keypublishing.
Edit : it seem that it was decided at the end of September 2006 that the cannon will be fully functional
GDB From United Kingdom, joined May 2001, 12708 posts, RR: 80 Reply 6, posted (5 years 9 months 1 week 6 days ago) and read 3216 times:
Worth noting, that RAF Typhoons are going to Afghanistan next year.
I suspect that the cannon will be more than just operational, it will be used in anger.
Also, replacing the F.3 flight at Mount Pleasant on the Falklands, will need an operational cannon, if only to give a warning shot capability against straying aircraft, something the MoD seemed to have forgotten was hastily fitted to BAC Lightnings in the 60's, after later models deleted them, just as Soviet aircraft started making more incursions around the UK airspace area!
(After BAE made a complete bollocks of the ROF ADEN 25 for the RAF Harriers, time to ask those nice people at the USMC if they have some GAU-12 25mm guns to spare? Cannon have been missed a few times on the Harriers in country. The Typhoon deployment giving time to get, inter-gate and train on the Harriers).
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