Conformal Fuel Tanks

Those look sooooo ugly. Please don't. :D

Those look sooooo ugly. Please don't. :D

I agree, don't do it VEAO. :P

Those look sooooo ugly. Please don't. :D

And it looks like it has shed it's load all over the apron

:cry:

I don't care if it makes it look ugly, please include it. Everything to keep me from being forced to be dependent on air to air refueling to loiter more than five minutes (especially since the tankers just love to start doing very slow turns, because apparently it's not hard enough when they fly straight and level) :P

2x 1500L CFT.

Damn, they're making it look even moer sexy...

Damn, they're making it look even moer sexy...

You like big jugs, do you?

eehhmm... tanks, I mean tanks of course. :D

Yeh they have been spotted around the place, although none in active serve yet that I am aware of

Our model at present doesnt include these.

Pman

Lol... Looks like a Typhoon tried to eat the dish off an AWACS.

You could say... It bit off more then it could chew.....

CFTs can only be carried by block 20 aircraft (Tranche 3) which aren't in active service yet. The ability to use them in a physical change to the aircraft structure and fuel system, so block 1-15 cannot use them.

They may be ugly, but for strike missions where you can't use wing tanks (Storm Shadow can/will only be carried/cleared on the centre wing station that carry tanks), they'll be pretty useful.

Although unless VEAO are doing a block 20+ we'll not be seeing them anyway.

Typhoon starts windtunnel tests with conformal fuel tanks

Bye

Phant

Can't help noticing they appear to come a little too far forward to gain access to main avionics bays... think there may be a little tweaking to come yet!!

Can't help noticing they appear to come a little too far forward to gain access to main avionics bays... think there may be a little tweaking to come yet!!

Damn good point that, hadn't paid that much attention to them, but now you mention it. They overlap the AV bay doors by around 6 inches or so.

Of course, that is only a model and they've never been fitted on an actual flying aircraft so we'll see.

CFTs can only be carried by block 20 aircraft (Tranche 3) which aren't in active service yet. The ability to use them in a physical change to the aircraft structure and fuel system, so block 1-15 cannot use them.

 

They may be ugly, but for strike missions where you can't use wing tanks (Storm Shadow can/will only be carried/cleared on the centre wing station that carry tanks), they'll be pretty useful.

 

Although unless VEAO are doing a block 20+ we'll not be seeing them anyway.

When CFTs are mounted on a Typhoon, can they be removed? I mean, can they be added/removed depending on the mission?

Yes they are role equipment just like pylons, launchers, tanks, etc. although as they aren't in service and there is no data etc I wouldn't like to say how easy it is to fit or remove them.

They look good and significantly increase your range so you can carry more bombs.

Just thought, they'd better get a work round sorted for downloading the CSMU on aircraft or this is never going to work! (looks like the access panels covered up by the back end of the tanks!!).

Hmmmm, another very good point. I'm sure the designers have thought about such practical things though, especially when dealing with deployed aircraft and/or landaway's. :music_whistling:

Is it true that they're going to scrap the Tranche 1 (and maybe some Tranche 2) airframes long before end-of-life in order to get the Tranche 3 updates into the fleet?

Best regards,

Tango.

Is it true that they're going to scrap the Tranche 1 (and maybe some Tranche 2) airframes long before end-of-life in order to get the Tranche 3 updates into the fleet?

 

Best regards,

Tango.

No.

However the out of service date for UK Tranche 1 jets isn't all that far away, but that's down to the number of hours they've flown and fatigue life etc. We've flown considerably (at least a third from the last number I saw) more hours than the 2nd place nation (Germany) and more than double the Italian and Spanish. Although there are some talks of extending them a bit further.

"CFT's also free hardpoints for weapons or fuel tanks and only insignificantly increase an aircraft's radar cross-section."

The fact we don't have any active aircraft carriers it might be worth it!

Seen this F16?

An Israeli Air Force F-16 from Ramon Air Base, Israel, moves into refueling position July 17, 2009 over the Nevada Test and Training Range during Red Flag 09-4.

They also have them for Superhornets and the F-15SE has the ability to carry missiles inside them.

Re #19: What is an CSMU, if I might interrupt you?