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Aviation History
1990
1990 - 0029.PDF
The most pressing cus tomer for the aircraft is Italy, which urgently needs EFA—or an aircraft matching it—to replace more than 140 ageing Lockheed F-104S Star- fighter interceptors oper ated, by the Aeronautica Militare Italiana. The air craft are being upgraded with new radar and avi onics, but will reach the end of their stretched fa tigue life in 1996/7. The first production EFAs have therefore been allo cated to meet the Italian requirement. Spain's long-term fighter requirement is sat isfied by EFA as a replacement for F-4C Phantoms and Mirage F-lC/Es, operated by the Ejercito del Aire. West Germany's Luftwaffe, which wants EFA as a replacement for the F-4F from 1997, hoped the new aircraft would enable the trend of lowering overall numbers of aircraft operated could be ended. The UK Royal Air Force wants EFA as a replacement for more than 100 Phantom FG.l/FGR.2s, F.3s and surviving Jaguar GR.ls. Without EFA as it stands today, the Italian, German and Spanish requirement would almost certainly be filled by improved ver sions of the McDonnell Douglas F-18 or possibly the Panavia Tornado ADV. The three nations have already been in long talks with the US company about the aircraft and all have had offers on the table. Spain already operates or has on order 72 of the aircraft. INDUSTRIAL IMPACT EFA's four partner companies—AIT (21% shareholding), BAe (33%), CASA (13%) and MBB, now teamed with Dornier as part of Deutsche Aerospace (33%)—stand to build more than 700 EFAs to meet the existing requirements of the four partner nations. Many see the recent export success of Torna do as an indicator that EFA will be an equally successful export for the early part of the next century. Based on the same figures, Eurojet Turbo, the engine consortium formed by Fiat Avia- zone, Motoren-und-Turbinen-Union (MTU), Rolls-Royce and Sener are set up to build 1,400 or more EJ200 engines for the EFA partners requirement. The cancellation, or substantial reduction in scale, or the EFA programme would therefore deal a severe blow to the four nations' aerospace indus tries. In West Germany, where the debate over the aircraft is most intense, it has been pointed out that unexpected demand for Tornado has kept the skilled MBB workforce busy and that long-term support of the aircraft will maintain this momentum. The shift to more commercial production, panic- Replacement of ageing Italian F-104S interceptors pushes the demand for EFA ularly the Airbus Industrie A320, A321 and components for the A300, A310, A330 and A340, has also added to this cushioning effect. In the UK, where British Aerospace's strength has been in military aircraft produc tion since its formation, production of EFA is critical to its future. Similarly, aerospace interests in both Spain and Italy regard EFA as an industrial springboard into the next century. However, licence-manufacture of US alter natives is still considered an attractive option to Spanish and West German politicians in terms of cost-saving, risk-sharing and for sustaining work. TECHNOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE "All the technology in this weapon system is fundamental to maintaining a European design and build capability of this type," says Gerrie Willox of EFA. "It is essential to the common well-being of the aerospace community." Eurofighter considers that the technology for systems such as the EFA radar defensive aids subsystem, infrared search-and-track system and weapons are vital to the survival of these skills in Europe. Opponents insist the levels will be maintained through other developments and augmented by civil expertise. POLITICAL BACKGROUND The effects on EFA of 1989's political up heavals in Europe may not be known for some time. EFA's main political battleground will be West Germany, where the socialist SPD party has stated its desire to cancel West German involvement in EFA. How this may translate into real action if the party succeeds to government has been widely questioned. Potential cost overruns associated with the overdue radar decision (last scheduled for May 1989) have added to the German urgen cy. Last December, West German defence minister Gerhard Stoltenberg stated that a decision should be reached by the end of January 1990. EFA funding has been secured in part for devel opment up to the produc tion investment (PI) phase, through a memo randum of understanding (MoU) which followed the signing of develop ment contracts between the NATO European Fighter Management Agency (NEFMA), Euro- fighter and Eurojet in No vember 1988. NEFMA knows that West German develop ment funding is assured until the signing of the PI MoU, scheduler] for mid- to-late 1992. When the new West German Government is in place (expected to be by the third quarter of 1990), the 1991 budget will already have been debated and sanctioned. More than DM2 billion ($1.2 billion) out of a total allocation of DM5.85 billion has been put into the West1 German share of development funding so far. Eurofighter and NEFMA stake their belief in continued West German involvement on the government's unwillingness to allow technology to be forfeited under the terms of the original EFA MoU should it withdraw before the end of the development phase. Lengthy negotiations to leave the pro gramme would also mean that more than DM3 billion would have been spent by the time the West Germans reached their earliest opportunity to withdraw. NEFMA sources say: "The West German Government is not likely to shelve development at the expense of the taxpayer". If a partner pulls out, Willox believes a "three-nation EFA is still perfectly feasible". He adds that other nations, including Norway, have been in touch with Eurofighter over requirements for the year 2000 and beyond. If the PI MoU goes ahead, several options can be offered to the partners about both this and the fifth and final MoU covering full- scale production funding in 1993. NEFMA is beginning to collect information as a prelude to drawing up several optional MoUs. These will allow some partner nations to go ahead with full production while others could be allowed to defer production commitment until funding becomes available. As air defence is not under discussion at the Conventional Forces in Europe arms- reduction talks, the position of the air de fence fighter is still open. With tensions easing in Europe the posi tion of EFA may seem questionable to some and increasingly essential to others. For the moment, the lobbyists in Bonn watch for a radar solution while dubbing EFA the "environmentally friendly aircraft". Q FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 3-9 lanuarv 1990 11
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