FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
2002
2002 - 1957.PDF
FULL LIST OF READER SERVICES & ADVERTISER CONTACTS - 49 EDITORIAL +44 (20) 8652 3842 Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS, UK Fax +44 (20) 8652 3840 email flight.international9rbi.co.uk Editor Murdo Morrison •44 (20) 8652 4395 murdo.morrison9rbi.co.uk Editor's PA Debra Warburton (maternity leave) Acting Editor's PA Francesca Everett •44 (20) 8652 3835 francesca.everett@rbi.co.uk News Editor Emma Kelly +44 (20) 8652 3096 emma.kellY@rbi.co.uk Commercial Aviation Editor Max Kinqsley-Jones +44 (20) 8652 3825 max.kingsley.jones@rbi.co.uk Defence Aviation Editor Stewart Penney •44 (20) 8652 3834 stewart.penneY@rbi.co.uk Operations/Safety Editor David Learmount •44 (20) 8652 3845 david.learmount@rbi.co.uk Business Editor Alexander Campbell +44 (20) 8652 3990 alexander.campbell@rbi.co.uk Business & General Aviation Editor Kate Sarsfield (maternity leave) Business & General Aviation Reporter Justin Wastnage +44 (20) 8652 3S6ijustin.wastnage@rbi.co.uk Technical Reporter Michael Phelan •44 (20) 8652 3843 michael.phelan@rbi.co.uk Spaceflight Correspondent Tim Furniss +44 (1237) 471960 tim@spaceport.co.uk EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST European Editor Christina Mackenzie +33 (1) 64 23 68 89 christina.mackenzie@rbi.co.uk Israel Correspondent Arie Egozi +972 (3) 9413132 Middle East Correspondent Gerald Butt +357 22 771967 qbutt@spidernet.com.CY AMERICAS Washington DC Office Fax +1 (703) 836 8344 Americas Editor Graham Warwick +1 (703) 836 3448 graham, warwick@rbi.co.uk East Coast Editor Paul Lewis +1 (703) 836 3084 jpaul.lewis@rbi.co.uk West Coast Editor Guy Norris •1(949) 252 8971 Fax+1 (949) 252 8972 guY.norris@rbi.co.uk Brazil Correspondent Jackson Flores Jr +55 212439-6062 Fax 00 55 212349-6090 fubar@uol.com.br Canada Correspondent Brian Dunn •1 (514) 937-1855 Fax (514) 937-3352 brian@derniermot.com ASIA/PACIFIC Singapore Office Fax +65 338 6171 Regional Managing Editor Nicholas lonides +65 6434 3311 nicholas.ionides@rbi.co.uk Deputy Asia Editor Andrew Doyle •65 6434 3309 andrew.dOYle@rbi.co.uk Regional Reporter David Fullbrook +65 6434 3314 david.fullbrook@rbi.co.uk Australia Civil Aviation Correspondent Paul Phelan +61(7)40532791 Fax+61 (7)40533003 pdphelan-ioptusnet.com.au Australia Military Aviation Correspondent Peter La Franchi +61 (0) 419 246 620 Fax +61 (2) 62312795 nulka@ozemail.com.au COMMENT EDITORIAL PRODUCTION Group Production Editor Graeme Osborn +44 (20) 8652 3828 Group Art Editor James Mason +44 (20) 8652 4994 Chief Sub-Editor Chris Thornton +44 (20) 8652 4997 Deputy Production Editor Jackie Thompson +44 (20) 8652 3850 Sub Editor Megan Turner +44 (20) 8652 3848 Photographer Mark Wagner +44 (20) 8944 5225 Senior Technical Artist Giuseppe Picarella +44 (20) 8652 8054 Editorial Artist Tim Brown +44 (20) 8652 8043 WWW.FLIGHTINTERNATIONAL.COM Webmaster Sheena Buchanan +44 (20) 8652 4432 SUBSCRIPTIONS +44 (1444) 445454 rbi.subscriptions@rbi.co.uk THE FLIGHT COLLECTION kim.hearn@rbi.co.uk t and Database Rights 2002 Reed Business Information Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of the publishers iK-f17 Air Transport Intelligence (ATI). Flight International'ssister J-\ J J online service at www.rati.com, contains the full text of Flight •^HM International and Airline Business since 1996. Full text of the magazines can also be found online with Lexis-Nexis, Dialogue, FT Profile, IAC and Reuters. Editor Kieran Daly +44 (20) 8652 3837 Reed Business Information ? V\fosted opportunity! If the Eurof ighter nations do not move ahead on development, the future fighter market will be sewn up by the US Joint Strike Fighter For the past five years a well-defined plan has been in place for four European air forces to introduce Eurofighter in stages of improved functionality - initial operational capability, full operational capability and later a series of enhancements. Tranche 2 and Tranche 3. But the actual form and specification for the later tranches have not been defined - and it is hurting the aircraft's export chances. Industry, the Eurofighter consortium and its supplier base, have defined and reasonably consistent views on how the aircraft should be developed, but the four partner governments - Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK - have so far failed to detail and fund more than a small piece of Tranche 2 and nothing of Tranche 3, which is due to enter service around 2010. There are many proposals for the future air craft. Tranche 2, whatever it becomes, will be the less ambitious upgrade, generally improv ing the aircraft's air-to-surface capabilities and Lack of government commitment is damaging the programme refining the sensors and systems. Limited funding has been provided, albeit without fan fare, to develop the next mission computer- which was already under way using private venture capital and would be required anyway as an in-service upgrade of Tranche 1 Eurofighters. Tranche 3 offers a major opportunity to radi cally develop the aircraft for a new decade. Although the industry wish-list is lengthy, it is not well considered and reflects the likely needs of future air combat aircraft - improved reach, operations within a network-centric bat- tlespace and reduced radar and infrared cross-section, among others. If more radical upgrades are required, then there are also concepts. It is the lack of government commitment, however, that is really damaging the pro gramme. Australian defence minister Robert Hill says the decision to abandon the country's Air 6000 fighter competition and join the US- led Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme last month was because, in Australia's view, the potential competition in 2010 could not match the US aircraft. In other words, Australia apparently does not believe that Eurofighter, or the Dassault Rafale for that matter, will mature or be devel oped in the way that industry intends and that the market needs. Canberra does not appear to believe that the Eurofighter governments are committed to developing the aircraft beyond 2006. Any suggestion that Austria's selection of the Eurofighter Typhoon last week nulls Hill's claim is hollow. Austria was essentially seek ing an "air-policing" aircraft - an air defence dedicated fighter. Vienna also needs new fighters to enter service in the next few years, not after 2010. Austria is not the first export selection of Eurofighter, but previous interest has not led to contracts. Greece chose the fighter, but Athens later shelved the procurement (until after the 2004 Olympics) because of funding difficulties. Norway was believed to have selected the Typhoon before it cancelled its fighter competition in 2000. Eurofighter development will cost the four nations around £19 billion ($12.7 million). One driver for funding the programme has been to maintain the high-technology aerospace and defence industries and to reduce reliance on the USA. Another intention was the develop ment of a product that can be successful in the global export market. Now, just as Eurofighter is poised to enter service and appears to have some chance of being a world beater, the four governments appear perfectly happy to squander that hard-won position. It is true that Europe, even with the addition of France and Sweden - the continent's two other fighter manufacturing countries - cannot afford to develop another aircraft to compete with JSF, and therefore the USA, in the next decade. Europe does, however, have the basis for a competitor to JSF - the Tranche 3 Eurofighter. The list of potential technology inserts already reflects the likely requirements of tomorrow's battlefield, and without the part ner nations funding at least some of these upgrades, Eurofighter will come nowhere near meeting its 40-year service life requirement. The four nations need to begin funding Eurofighter Tranche 2 and 3 to protect their own investment. Ensuring that spending also helps sell the fighter cannot be a bad thing. At the very least a baseline configuration goal should be defined quickly and funding allo cated. If the governments continue to drag their feet, it will begin to look like the effort and funding expended to get Eurofighter to full operational capability have been to no avail. SEE HEADLINES P6 & FEATURE P34-44 www.fliqhtinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 9-15 JULY 2002 3
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
