The effort that the Spanish pilot of a Eurofighter endures in some maneuvers

We Europeans tend to undervalue defense products manufactured on our continent, even the best ones.

The rivalry between the F-35 and the Eurofighter analyzed by their operators and their sales
The history of the Eurofighter Typhoon and the numbers that summarize its current situation

Among the best products of the European defense industry, one of the most notable is the Eurofighter Typhoon, one of the best combat aircraft on the market. Obviously, it doesn't reach the technological level of a stealth fighter like the F-35, but it has very advanced avionics, great maneuverability, and outstanding thrust.

To give you an idea of ​​how true this last point is, this aircraft is the most powerful fighter Spain has ever had. It has a thrust of 89.9 kN with afterburner, well above the 71.2 kN of the EF-18 and the 75.6 kN of the F-4C, which had been Spain's most powerful fighters until the arrival of the Eurofighter.

In terms of maneuverability, its fuselage design, truncated delta wing, and canard planes are what explain its agility. Obviously, this is limited by the crew's ability to withstand the gravitational loads of certain maneuvers. The Eurofighter can perform maneuvers of up to 9 G, meaning the pilot's weight is multiplied by nine. It is the same G limit as an F-35A, and exceeds that of the F-35C (7.5 G) and the F-35B (7.0 G).

The drawback of these maneuvers of up to 9 G is that they can cause the pilot to lose consciousness, as blood flows from the brain to the rest of the body. To prevent this, pilots wear anti-gravity suits, which have inflated bladders in the legs and abdomen to prevent blood from traveling to those areas. Pilots must also maintain good physical fitness and perform breathing exercises. Airbus (which is publishing some excellent videos) has today shown the results of this training with an excellent video showing the inside of the cockpit of a Eurofighter from the 11th Wing of the Spanish Air Force, based in Morón de la Frontera (Seville):

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Photos: Ejército del Aire.