FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1991
1991 - 0114.PDF
HEADLINES Bonn studies show F-16 is only price rival to EFA BY DOUGLAS BARRIE AND GUY NORRIS The General Dynamics F-16 has emerged as the only financially acceptable alterna tive to Germany procuring the European Fighter Aircraft (EFA), in studies undertaken for Bonn's parliamentary de fence committee. The US air craft does not meet the current German requirement, however. The two studies, carried out towards the end of last year, examined four alternative pur chases to an EFA production run: the F-16 and McDonnell Douglas F-18, Hornet 2000 and the F-15. With the exception of an off-the-shelf purchase of the F-16, thought to be the C model, all the other options were found to be more expen sive than going ahead with EFA production, according to Gov ernment and industry officials close to the programme. An initial study, carried out by the Luftwaffe for the defence committee, conducted compara tive unit and system costs of alternative purchases to EFA. The costing was based on a production purchase of aircraft, excluding development costs. Germany now appears commit ted to completion of the devel opment phase of EFA, since to pull out before this would incur greater expense than completing development. The results, presented to the committee by the chief of the air staff and inspector of the Luftwaffe, showed that all the alternatives, except the F-16, to be more expensive. The defence committee, con cerned about the partisan na ture of the analysis, then com missioned an external private study to examine the same op tions. According to a Govern ment official, the results were "almost identical". A baseline F-16 purchase, with no joint production, was 10% cheaper than embarking on an EFA production run. Even off-the-shelf purchases of the F-18 and F-15 were 10-15% more expensive. With German intentions to ward EFA uncertain — and a Government source suggests that Germany will not go ahead with production for political reasons — a requirement for an operationally and financially ac- NO BULL — IT'S A CHINESE AEW First evidence of the People's Republic of China's airborne early warning programme is this Tupolev Tu-4 Bull (B-29 copy) testbed, recently retired to the Datang Shan aviation museum. China has had several proposals from Western manufacturers to fit radars in Shaanxi Y-8s (An-12 Cubs). The long turboprop engines have necessitated fitting tailplane endplates. The aircraft also has fore and aft ventral radomes. About 15 Bulls are in Chinese service as testbeds and drone launchers. ceptable alternative is distinctly possible. Current German require ments stipulate a twin-engined aircraft, however. According to an official involved in the initial aircraft specification, Germany was vehemently opposed to a single-engined EFA, in part be cause of its experience with the Lockheed F-104G. A German decision against production would not necessar ily be terminally damaging to EFA. Although on a political level a blow, a German with drawal could actually reduce production costs. Results of recent "what if' studies undertaken by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) show that the cost of a German pull-out from the EFA pro gramme may not have the disas trous effect on unit prices that was initially feared. Studies show a reduction of around 4% in unit cost, as long as at least 400 aircraft are ac quired by the remaining part ners. This is primarily due to the lower production and man power costs which result from taking the average German aero space worker out of the manu facturing equation. If the remaining partners close up to absorb the work- share gap of 33% left in the programme by the German withdrawal, the studies show that the UK RAF would take up to 200 aircraft, Italy 126 and Spain 74. • Airbus facing order dearth A"turbulent and uncertain" year for Airbus Industrie is in prospect following the con sortium's extraordinary success in 1990, when it won 404 firm orders, and increased its world market share to 35%. "We'll be lucky to make 100 orders this year," Airbus says. Recording the first operating profit — about $120 million — in Airbus's 20-year exist ence, managing director Jean Pierson said that this year's figure would probably be higher because of an increase in deliv eries from last year's $4.6 bil lion to a record $7 billion — or 107 aircraft. Part of last year's poor delivery performance was the result of the strike at British Aerospace. Airline financial problems, the Gulf crisis — and the result ing fuel price rises — and re duced business and holiday traf fic are all factors which Pierson says will make things difficult for Airbus in 1991. Pierson remains bullish about the long-term future. "We're aiming for 40% of the world airliner market," he says, con firming that Airbus is studying a 600- to 700-seat competitor to the Boeing 747 for earliest serv ice introduction in 2002. Rollout of the four-engmed A340 occurs this year, and of the A330 in 1992. Orders for 89 and 138 of these aircraft respec tively have already been taken, although there are concerns that some airlines — including troubled US carriers TWA and Continental, which between them have 33 A330s and 7 A340s on order — will be unable to afford them when the time comes. • USAF cancels Boeing's Saudi Peace Shield deal The US Air Force has cancelled the bulk of Boe ing's $1.8 billion contracts on the Peace Shield air-defence programme for Saudi Arabia. The USAF took the decision after sending Boeing a "show cause" notice in December, re questing justification of why key elements of Peace Shield were years behind schedule. Boeing denies blame for de lays on the now-cancelled soft ware and communications ele ments of the Peace Shield ground environment, saying it will contest the decision. While the USAF has made no public indication so far of what it now intends to do, Hughes is known to have expressed inter est in the programme. • 4 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 16 - 22 January, 1991
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
