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Aviation History
2000
2000 - 0792.PDF
The Chilean air force hopes that its looming fighter decision will put it firmly on the path to modernisation PAUL LEWIS/SANTIAGO SQUEEZED between the Andes moun tains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, Chile has unique geographical characteristics. This pencil-thin nation stretches more than 4,000km (2,500 miles) from its nordiem arid reaches to die soudiern Antarctic ice flows. Defending diis airspace pre sents Chile's air force, die Fuerza Aerea de Chile (FACh), with a long list of challenges. The FACh has a front-line fighter force of 50 aircraft, consisting of upgraded, but nonethe less ageing, Northrop F-5E/Fs and a mixed fleet of Dassault Mirage 5/50s. This is backed up by The FACh needs mote AEW aircraft hut is limited by funding to one Boeing 707'-based Condor a similar number of lighter Cessna A-37s and Enaer A-36CCs (licence-built CASA C-lOls). The service's overwhelming priority is to acquire a new fighter and, after a wait of more than four years, all eyes are on newly elected president Ricardo Lagos for a final decision. Gen Patricio Rios Ponce, FACh comman der-in-chief, says: "We have had to look care fully for an aircraft capable of operating in our different climatic regions and, most important ly, one diat is able to move from soutfi to nordi in a short time without losing capability. We've finished the technical evaluation and the final report has gone to the government for a decision." The report shortlists four aircraft: die Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet, Dassault Mirage 2000-5 Mk2, Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 50+ and Saab/BAE Systems Gripen. The Hornet is no longer diought to be in the running, given that production ends diisyear, while the Gripen offering was hamstrung for more than 17 months by die UK's detention of Chile's Gen Augusto Pinochet. Selection of a new fighter has been delayed by more than two years by Chile's economic diffi culties and the fall in the price of its main raw-material export, copper. The fighter pro gramme has highlighted die inadequacies of die country's defence procurement practices, giv ing rise to fears widiin the FACh that a decision could again be delayed as die new socialist-led government tries to reform die system. Under the country's copper law, about 10% of revenue from mineral sales goes to the three military services to fund new equipment. In die absence of a central procurement agency, each service receives an equal share to spend and bor row against as diey see fit, widi no reference to die needs of die odier arms. The defence min istry operates simply as a housekeeping agency. GUARANTEED INCOME The copper law provides a minimum guaran teed income of about $210 million a year, below which the treasury provides a top-up. This is well short of what is required by die diree ser vices and die fluctuation in the price of copper has made long-term budgeting and multiyear procurements virtually impossible to plan. Radier dian follow die example of die navy, which incurred large debts funding two Franco- 48 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 21 - 27 March 2000
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