Eurofighter vs F-35
Eurofighter Typhoon vs F-35 Lightning II
Comments of readers (Feel free to “Leave a Reply” on bottom.)
1. No significant difference in price. There is less than 5% difference. F-35 is more economical, the Eurofighters twin engine will need more and more complex maintenance. JSF has a significant advantage in BVR fight. Where the Eurofighter only has frontal radar avoidance, the JSF has better stealth properties and won’t be noticed on radar. The Eurofighter is a lot more agile and will have a significant advantage in dogfights.
2. I know the F-35 gets bad press but the simple fact is when they are up and running they will be unrivalled in the skies. The typhoon would be destroyed before it even knew the JSF was there. You’re methods of comparing is old school.
3. Rafale is miles ahead of Typhoon in terms of multirole, system integration and operational combat effectiveness.From comments questioning the choice, it appears that some readers are intoxicated by Eurofighter’s far superior propaganda machine (their bragging about Libya operations was a masterpiece in that respect, in stark contrast to the excessively low-key French PR despite a few groundbreaking achievements substantiating Rafale’s claim to “omnirole” capability), not to mention a few commentators who might be on the payroll of Eurofighter GMBH.
4. F-35 is a flying powerhouse of a computer. By the time the Eurofighter responds, it will be shot down. Research kiddies because the F-35 was never about agility. It is about lighting fast engagements. The F-35 will engage you before you even know it’s there, true story. That’s what makes the F-35 so deadly. The F-22 uses this same factors.
5. The Eurofighter is multi-role while the F-35 is better armed and stealth. It has better technology AND weapons. The F-35 has been developed longer, and has more expensive and sophisticated technology. Either way, the F-35 and F-22 are better than the eurofighter. And the Eurofighter wouldn’t stand a chance against the F-35, which is a better plane overall.
6. Not sure how they can say the F-35 is better armed, carries all the same weapons as the EF, no JDAM? Really? That is more a bomb package rather than an aircraft being capable to carry it. If they can carry the “dumb” version of the bomb, then they can carry the JDAM version of it, as it is the same bomb, just with a GPS guidance package and a glide package added to it. Nevermind the fact that CDN aircraft will never carry half of what is listed.
7. The F-35 is a Gen 5 stealth aircraft, the Typhoon isn’t. The F-35 can have missiles in the air before the Typhoon even knows it’s being engaged. That’s why vectored thrust was not included on the F-35–it isn’t needed.
8. F-35 does (and wont) field Meteor unless LM get paid more to develop the capability, and may not fit in the B’s bays at all F-35 thrust/weight to is based on 50% internal fuel yet is less economic than the EF and would need approx internal 90% fuel for the same use, so less than 1 to 1.
9. The difference in these aircraft is that the F-35 has a VSTOL version for aircraft carriers. This is a significant advantage.
Eurofighter vs F-35 Flight Cost Per Hour
Overall and BVR ratings
| CATEGORY | EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON | F-35 LIGHTNING 2 |
| BVR Rating | 91% | 94% |
| Armament | 8.5/10 | 8.6/10 |
| Technology | 8.8/10 | 9.5/10 |
| Avionics | 8.6/10 | 9.0/10 |
| Maneuverability | 9.5/10 | 8.5/10 |
| Rate of Climb | max. 315 m/s – 65k ft/min | max. 230 m/s – 45k ft/min |
| Thrust/Weight | 1.15 | 1.07 |
| Service Ceiling | 20 km – 65k ft | 20 km – 65k ft |
| Speed | 2.35 Mach | 1.60 Mach |
| Fuel Economy | 0.68 km/l – 1.60 NM/gallon | 0.80 km/l – 1.68 NM/gallon |
| Unit Cost | 175.000.000 USD | 180.000.000 USD |
| Overall Rating | excellent | excellent |
BVR (Beyond Visual Range) Ratings
| CATEGORY | EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON | F-35 LIGHTNING 2 |
| BVR AAM missile | MBDA Meteor | MBDA Meteor |
| AAM origin | NATO | NATO |
| Year | in 2013 | in 2013 |
| Range (mile) | 62 | 62 |
| Range (km) | 100 | 100 |
| Speed (mph) | 2640 | 2640 |
| Speed (km/h) | 4248 | 4248 |
| Radar | Euroradar CAPTOR | AN/APG-81 AESA |
| Radar overall rating | excellent | excellent |
| BVR Technology | 87% | 92% |
| BVR Def. Tech. | 85% | 95% |
| RCS – Radar Cross Section | 0.5-2.0 | 0.005-0.3 |
Dogfight (close to medium range) Ratings
| CATEGORY | EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON | F-35 LIGHTNING 2 |
| Cannon | Mauser BK-27 | GAU-22/A |
| Caliber (mm) | 27 mm | 20 mm |
| Rate of Fire (rpm) | 1700 rpm | 4200 rpm |
| Muzzle Velocity | 1025 m/s | 1000 m/s |
| Size Point 10%-30% | 20% | 20% |
| Maneuverability | 9,5 | 8,5 |
| Thrust/Weight Ratio | 1,15 | 1,07 |
| AAM (first) | AIM-132 ASRAAM | AIM-9X |
| Operational range | 0.3 – 50 km | 0.2 – 50 km |
| AAM (second) | IRIS-T | IRIS-T |
| Operational range | 0.5 – 30 km | 0.5 – 30 km |
| Dogfight Rating | 75% | 70% |
Size Comparison
| CATEGORY | EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON | F-35 LIGHTNING 2 |
| Length | 15.95 m – 52 ft 4 in | 15.6 m – 50.0 ft |
| Wingspan | 10.95 m – 35 ft 9 in | 10.7 m – 35 ft 0 in |
| Wing area | 51.2 m² (551 sq ft) | 42.0 m² – 460 sq ft |
| Height | 5.30 m – 17 ft 3 in | 4.33 m – 14.2 ft |
| Weight | 11,150 kg – 24,6k lb | 13,200 kg – 30,2k lb |
| Power | 2 x 89 kN 20k lbf | 1 x 190 kN – 43k lbf |