Typhoon

The Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 is the most advanced multi-role combat aircraft in the world. Capable of flying at nearly twice the speed of sound and powering to a height of over ten miles in less time than it takes to boil a kettle, a single Typhoon can also deliver a heavy bombload with such lethal precision that a whole squadron of Lancasters could not have guaranteed the same result. Taking command of the RAF's premier Typhoon squadron represented the pinnacle of Mike Sutton's career as fighter pilot. Until the day he was told he would be leading 1 (Fighter) Squadron into battle against a bloody and brutal enemy hellbent on establishing a permanent stronghold across Syria and Iraq and spreading terror across the free world. Their mission was to help stop them in their tracks. In proving the Typhoon in combat, they would be flying in some of the world's most treacherous skies, where ground fire, anti-aircraft artillery and the latest surface-to-air missiles posed a constant danger. The threat of getting shot down behind enemy lines was a fact of life. Typhoon is the first inside account of the RAF's long war against ISIS; a campaign in which any mistake could have devastating consequences. The loss of innocent lives resulting from their fight against the enemy was simply not an option. 1 Squadron fought with distinction over the trenches of the First World War, in the Battle of Britain and during the Falklands War. Over an intense, extraordinarily demanding deployment against a brutal enemy, this gripping and dramatic story of modern conflict sees them in action once again.

Mike Sutton led 1(Fighter) Squadron into action against ISIS in 2015. An RAF fighter pilot for 18 years, he flew the Jaguar strike jet before becoming an instructor on the first RAF Typhoon multi-role attack squadron. During his time as a tactics instructor he conducted a live scramble in response to a potential terrorist hijacking and served on operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. He left the RAF as a Wing Commander aged 39, and now flies commercially providing operational readiness training for the UK armed forces. He was awarded the OBE in 2017.