EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON: Heavy Precision Bomber – Europe's Multitool for Air Combat | WELT Documentary

The Eurofighter was originally built for aerial combat. In recent years, however, it has been used not only as a fighter jet, but also as a bomber. The bombs are located under the wings. A laser seeker and GPS control system are mounted in the front. They guide the bomb to its target. The Eurofighter has enough thrust to carry four bombs at the same time. The pilot does not have to be above the target when the bombs drop. They're programmed with GPS data and find their way to the target on their own. The mission plan calls for target practice. First, these containers are to be hit. They've been marked as ground targets and will now be engaged. The jets are carrying blue practice bombs without explosives. These bombs are intended for use from medium to high altitudes. However, the target must be precisely measured with coordinates beforehand. As a result, no visual contact with the target is required, so they can be used in any weather. Will both practice bombs find their target? 12 kilometers from the target, the Eurofighter sends the bombs on their way. From here on out, everything happens automatically. The first one hits the target perfectly, and the second one misses the center by just two meters. Two hits from a distance of 12 kilometers. When we're supporting ground troops, it's possible that while already in the air, we may be called in to help when ground troops are attacked to fight the enemy. And then we don't even know beforehand which direction we have to fly and what exactly to expect on the ground. The pilots then have to select their own targets. To do this, they have to fly in visual contact. The cloudier the conditions, the lower they have to go to identify and measure their targets. The pilot has a special visor in his helmet for this purpose. Looking through it, he can mark the target with crosshairs. The jet then calculates the coordinates for the target and transmits them directly to the bomb. This allows the pilot to mark and attack targets on site. All practice bombs find their target without any trouble. The test is now complete. The jet returns to base. The next morning. This time, the Eurofighters take off with live bombs under their wings. The weather is clear enough for an attack using laser technology. An alternative when the GPS signal is disrupted. The pilot aims at the target in flight using a laser beam. The laser can be seen here on the left. This means that the pilot can easily detect even small vehicles such as cars and define them as targets from an altitude of up to 10 kilometers. In fractions of a second, the laser then measures the distance to the target and records it. The bomb is then programmed for this target. No further correction is necessary after dropping.