Why a Sea Typhoon needed a new airframe

How realistic would a carrier-capable Sea Typhoon have been?

It was plausible only with enough CATOBAR demand, and would have required a substantially redesigned airframe despite sharing systems with Typhoon.

A Sea Typhoon would need enough European CATOBAR carrier orders to justify its development. It could share Typhoon's electronics and other systems while using a different airframe. Carrier landing loads require extensive structural changes, especially as aircraft become heavier. Another approach would build the entire fighter family to a rough-field standard, making land-based users pay for structure they did not need. A naval version therefore needed consideration at the beginning of the project.