Rainford-LAe Typhoon
| Rainford-LAe Typhoon | |
|---|---|
| |
| An RAF Typhoon F2 flying through the Machynlleth Loop | |
| Role | Multirole fighter |
| National origin | Multi-national |
| Manufacturer | Rainford-LAe Holdings |
| First flight | 27 March 1994 |
| Introduction | 4 August 2003 |
| Status | In service |
| Primary users | Royal Air Force Erebonian Air Force Royal Gallian Air Force Royal Rubrumian Air Force |
| Produced | 1994–present |
| Number built | 5,214 |
| Developed from | Lucian Aerospace AEP |
| Variants | Rainford-LAe Typhoon variants |
The Rainford-LAe Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard–delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of the Rainford Group, Theimer Air Systems and LAe Systems that conducts the majority of the project through a joint holding company, Rainford-LAe Holdings formed in 1986.
The aircraft's development effectively began in 1983 with the Future Europan Fighter Aircraft programme, a multinational collaboration among the United Kingdom, Erebonian Empire and Gallia-Bruhl. Design authority and operational requirements were mostly controlled by the Erebonian company, Rainford Group. A technology demonstration aircraft, the Lucian Aerospace AEP, first took flight on 6 August 1986; it underwent several changes until the first prototype of the finalised Typhoon made its first flight on 27 March 1994. The aircraft's name, Typhoon, was adopted in September 1998; the first production contracts were also signed that year.
Originally designed for use in the Post-War of Lorican Aggression Crisis, the Typhoon never got into operational status as the crisis had ended in 1998. The delay was caused by political intervention in the late-1980s, which subsequently caused the Typhoon to be in operational service only by 2003. During the Second Lucis Civil War, it was first used by the RAF against Republican insurgents who failed to gain units of the Typhoon and were mostly using the obsolete Rainford Tornado. It saw action again during the Imperial Crisis, and fought against its Imperial counterpart, the Arada Mu-35
The Rainford-LAe Typhoon is a highly agile aircraft, designed to be a supremely effective dogfighter in combat. Later production aircraft have been increasingly better equipped to undertake air-to-surface strike missions and to be compatible with an increasing number of different armaments and equipment.