A Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 2 of the Ejercito del Aire, the Spanish Air Force, carried out a mission equipped for the first time with a Meteor missile.
The aircraft belonged to the 141 Squadron of the 14th Wing, as reported by the air force on January 15, 2021. For the missile to be employed by the aircraft, the Typhoons had to receive the P2Eb software upgrade (Phase 2 Enhancements B)
Developed by MBDA within the framework of a partnership involving France, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy, Spain, and Germany, the Meteor is a beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile guided by active radar. The weapon has a range of over 150 kilometers (90 miles) and can reach Mach 4 speed.
The Meteor was first introduced by Sweden on the JAS 39 Gripen in April 2016. The Typhoons of the British Royal Air Force were the first to add the Meteor to their arsenal, in December 2018. The weapon is also employed by the Rafales of the French Air Force, which described it as a “game-changer”.
Italy and the United Kingdom are also working to integrate the missile respectively on their F-35A and F-35B fighters.