Eurofighters Typhoon is probably best known for its high-performance flight display routines seen by millions of people around world. The aircraft has been in service for over ten years and has participated in many of the world's most demanding training events: Red Flag in the United States, Anatolian Eagle in Turkey, the Tactical Leadership Programme at Albacete in Spain and its equivalent staged by the United Arab Emirates Air Force at AI Dhafra. The training undertaken in those events tends to focus on the air-to-air role and less on air-to-surface missions. Then, in the spring of 2011, RAF Typhoons were deployed to Gioia del Colle AB in southern Italy to enforce a UN-mandated no-fly zone over Libya to support NATO's Operation Unified Protector. Part of the way in to the air campaign, RAF pilots employed the jet in an operational air-to-surface role for the first time. It was a good demonstration of Typhoon's ability to conduct bombing missions in combat. The weapon employed throughout the campaign was the 1,0001b (454kg) Enhanced Paveway II laser-guided bomb, stablemate of the 1,000lb unguided bomb - the only two air-to-surface munitions currently in the RAF's multi-role Typhoon arsenal. After ten years of service and an even greater length of time in development, Typhoon seems somewhat under equipped for 'blowing stuff up', but not for much longer. When the Phase 1 Enhancement (P1E) package is released to service next year RAF Typhoon FGR4s will gain a very smart weapon: the 500lb (227kg) Paveway IV dual-mode, precision-guided bomb.
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