Italian typhoons armed with meteor missiles: A new era in NATO air defense in Romania
Italian Typhoons equipped with Meteor missiles are currently operational and safeguarding a NATO ally—Romania. We explore the capabilities of these unique European air-to-air missiles.
According to The Aviationist, the Italian Air Force has released the first images of its Eurofighters armed with MBDA Meteor missiles. These distinctive missile-equipped aircraft are stationed in Romania as part of the NATO Enhanced Air Policing mission.
Although the MBDA Meteor missile has been in mass production since 2003, its service entry was delayed until recent years due to the lengthy and costly integration process with military aircraft. For example, the German Luftwaffe completed this process in 2021, while Italy's P2E(b) programme (Phase 2 Enhancement bravo) only began in 2023.
With the process now complete, the armed Italian Typhoons are based at Mihail Kogălniceanu in Romania. As participants in the NATO Enhanced Air Policing mission, they cooperate with Romanian F-16s to ensure the security of Romanian airspace.
On 28 April 2025, two Typhoons were scrambled in response to a potential threat in the country's northeastern sector. The Italian aircraft were equipped with a pair of Meteor missiles, IRIS-T missiles, and a Litening 5 pod, although their maximum combat load could be greater.
MBDA Meteor — A revolutionary air-to-air missile from Europe
The MBDA Meteor missile, a product of collaboration between the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and Sweden, boasts a record range of approximately 125 miles. This is made possible by its ramjet engine, which allows it to maintain a speed of Mach 4 for extended periods and provides greater manoeuvrability than missiles such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM.
The Meteor's ramjet engine differs from traditional solid-fuel rocket engines by operating longer with throttle control, enabling energy conservation and increased effectiveness over longer distances. Its secret lies in utilising a larger reserve of combustible material in the fuel, dispensing with the need for an oxidiser since oxygen is drawn from the atmosphere and compressed through specially designed air intakes at high speeds.
Consequently, the missile features a standard rocket booster that is discarded after a few seconds, propelling it to around Mach 2—sufficient speed for the ramjet engine to take over.
This design results in a "No Escape Zone" significantly larger than those of its competitors, within which a target cannot evade through manoeuvres, as the Meteor can renew its attack by regaining energy.
Meteor is guided inertially and via satellite navigation towards the target, after which its onboard active radar seeker takes over, ensuring precision in the final phase of flight. Additionally, the missile is equipped with a datalink, allowing communication with the launch aircraft to receive target updates, for example.
The Meteor missile is replacing American AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles in some Western countries. The current list of aircraft integrated with or integrating the Meteor includes the Eurofighter Typhoon, JAS-39 Gripen, Rafale, and F-35B.
