Apr. 16, 2012 By ANDREW CHUTER – Defense News

LONDON — Britain’s Royal Air Force may delay taking its C-130K Hercules special forces fleet out of service for at least a year while it waits for a delayed upgrade of the newer J variant.

The last of the Hercules K fleet was to exit service by the end of the year, but sources said that’s unlikely to happen. The availability of a vital upgrade to allow the J version to fully take on the special forces role will not be ready until at least 2013.

One Ministry of Defence source said the RAF could decide to retain maybe five or six of the K fleet for special forces work while getting rid of the rest.

A spokeswoman for the MoD declined to comment, beyond saying the department was considering a variety of equipment options as part of the annual planning process for the financial year 2012-13.

Retaining the Lockheed Martin-built Ks is one of several permutations being examined as part of Planning Round 2012 deliberations to maintain the balance of RAF air transport capabilities. Pressure is mounting on air bridge assets ahead of the withdrawal of combat forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

The delay comes just two months after the head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Steven Dalton, admitted the service was looking at giving a temporary reprieve to another aging British air transport asset, the Tristar, also built by Lockheed.

The RAF has operated the Hercules K since the late 1960s. In recent years the aircraft’s primary role has been to support special forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.

Retirements and losses have winnowed K fleet numbers to eight from the original 66 acquired from Lockheed Martin.

The plan was to install Block 7 on the 25-strong J fleet starting last September, allowing the remaining older aircraft to withdraw from service this year.

Known as Block 7.0, the Hercules upgrade provides the systems architecture to allow the specialist equipment carried by special forces aircraft to be installed.

The block upgrade is part of an international program led by the U.S. Air Force.

A spokesman for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics said the upgrade will “enter Phase II flight tests this summer. We are awaiting a schedule for [installation] from the USAF.”

As far back as 2008, the National Audit Office, the government spending watchdog, warned that any delay to the introduction of Block 7 installation beyond 2012 may “create a serious gap in capability” for specialist operations.

Repeated Delays

Announcement of the extension would be at least the third time the MoD has delayed pensioning off the venerable K aircraft. The original date was 2008; that was extended to 2010 and then 2012.

The aircraft were meant to be replaced by Airbus Military’s A400M airlifter, but that program has been delayed until 2015. The British have 22 A400Ms on order. By 2022, they plan to have a fixed-wing transport capability of two aircraft types — the Airbus and the C-17.

There are, though, two strategic defense reviews planned between now and then, and industry executives wonder whether the multirole tactical flexibility of the smaller Hercules may see some of the aircraft retained beyond its 2022 out-of-service date.

Briefing reporters in London on April 11 on developments involving new maritime patrol and low-cost versions of the J, Jim Grant, a vice president of new business at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, said he was “optimistic that the special-mission capabilities inherent in the J will prove itself to the extent the RAF desires to up-rate the aircraft [to use it] many years beyond the current program’s retirement date.”

Industry sources here said the contractor team led by Marshall Aerospace, which supports the RAF’s entire fleet through the Hercules Integrated Operational Support contract, has already been put on notice that further work on the K is a possibility.

A spokeswoman for Marshall said the Cambridge-based company had not heard anything official about future Hercules support other than what was in the Conservative-led coalition government’s strategic defense and security review of 2010.

That review mandated withdrawing the J fleet from service in 2022, a decade earlier than planned.

Running the Hercules K until at least the end of 2013 may help bolster air transport assets as the British ramp up their withdrawal effort from Afghanistan.

Along with other NATO nations, the British plan to have withdrawn all combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, putting huge pressure on already stretched air transport resources.

Beyond keeping the Tristars, another possible measure to maximize short-term lift capability was a lease of Boeing C-17s, Dalton said during an interview earlier this year. The RAF recently ordered its eighth airlifter from Boeing for delivery this summer.

The British are also acquiring two cargo/passenger versions of the BAE146 airliner as an urgent operational requirement to supplement transport activities between bases in Afghanistan — a role often undertaken by the Hercules.

Air transport capabilities were given a further boost here April 9 when the AirTanker consortium finally announced that the first of a 14-strong fleet of new A330 transport and inflight refueling tankers has been released for operational service with the RAF.

The EADS-led consortium providing the aircraft as part of a 24-year private finance initiative deal said the A330 conducted its first training sortie under the command of its own crew April 8 to “signal the commencement of the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft service to the RAF.”

The deal will see a mix of AirTanker and RAF crews provide passenger, cargo and inflight refueling services using a core fleet of nine A330s with a further five aircraft able to swing between third-party markets and the British military, according to demand.

April 15, 2012. David Pugliese - Defence Watch

Reuters new agency is reporting that the Netherlands will buy fewer than the 85 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters it had planned to acquire because costs have risen and the country needs to replace fewer F-16 fighters, the Dutch defence minister said on Sunday.

More from Reuters:

The costs of developing and building the F-35, which will replace F-16 fighters, have been rising. Japan and a U.S. Air Force official have warned they may order fewer planes if costs go up further.

Asked on Dutch television programme Buitenhof if the Netherlands still planned to buy 85 F-35 planes despite higher costs, Dutch Defence Minister Hans Hillen said: “The next cabinet will decide. It will certainly be fewer.”

The Netherlands had planned to buy a total of 85 F-35 planes over the period 2019 to 2027, the Dutch Defence Ministry said in a letter to parliament last year. The ministry has reserved 4.5 billion euros to replace the existing F-16 fighters.

photo Marine Nationale

April 15, 2012: STRATEGY PAGE

The French navy recently used an American GQM-163A Coyote SSST (Supersonic Sea-Skimming Target) missile, in a test of the Aster missile system on one of its Forbin class air-defense destroyers. The test was monitored another Forbin class destroyer and was a success. The American missile was destroyed, and now France will probably buy more of them.

The Forbin-class destroyers displace 7,000 tons and have a vertical-launch system carrying 48 ASTER-15 or ASTER-30 missiles. The ASTER-15 has a range of 20 kilometers, while the ASTER-30 has a range of 70 kilometers. The Forbin-class destroyers also carry two 76-millimeter guns, eight Exocet anti-ship missiles two torpedo tubes, two 20mm autocannon and one helicopter. The first Forbin entered service four years ago and expects to face more anti-ship missiles than manned aircraft.

So far 89 GQM-163As been delivered or ordered, this was sufficient to keep the program alive. It was only three years ago, after nearly a decade of development effort, that the U.S. Navy put this high-speed anti-ship missile simulator/target into service. Coyote is a 10 meter (31 foot) long, 800 kg (1,700 pound) missile with combined solid fuel rocket and ramjet propulsion. It has a range of 110 kilometers and, because of the ramjet, a top speed of over 2,600 kilometers an hour. The Coyote is meant to give U.S. warships a realistic simulation of an attack by similar Russian cruise missiles (like the Klub.) Initially, only 39 GQM-163As were to be built, at a cost of $515,000 each. But the missile proved so successful at simulating high speed anti-ship missiles that orders more than doubled. The GQM-163A is the first U.S. target missile to successfully use ramjet engines, and this technology can be now used in other missiles.

Coyote was developed in response to more high speed anti-ship missiles showing up in service. The Coyote is used to test detection and tracking sensors (especially radar) and tweaking fire control systems and anti-missile weapons, so that they can handle Klub type missiles.

 The 3M54 Klub is similar to earlier, Cold War era Russian anti-ship missiles, like the 3M80 ("Sunburn"), which has a larger warhead (300 kg/660 pounds) and shorter range (120 kilometers.) The 3M80 was still in development at the end of the Cold War, and was finally put into service about a decade ago. Even older is the P700 ("Shipwreck"), with a 550 kilometers range and 750 kg (1,650 pound) warhead. This missile entered service in the 1980s. That was when the Russians began putting emphasis on making their anti-ship missiles much faster in order to defeat defensive weapons. The Aster missile was designed to cope with these high speed missiles.

These fast Russian missiles are considered "carrier killers," but it's not known how many of them would have to hit a carrier to knock it out of action, much less sink it. Moreover, Russian missiles have little combat experience, and a reputation for erratic performance. Quality control was never a Soviet strength, but the Russians are getting better, at least in the civilian sector. The military manufacturers appear to have been slower to adapt.

It is feared that the navy has no defense against missile like Klub. Or, it may have developed defenses, but does not want to let potential enemies know how those defenses work (lest the enemy develop ways to get around those defenses.)

Apr. 13, 2012 By KATE BRANNEN – Defence News

The Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty (DTCT) between the United States and the United Kingdom officially enters into force April 13.

The treaty, signed in 2007 and ratified in 2010, is intended to ease the export of defense articles between the two countries by reducing the need for export licenses and other International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) approvals for certain items.

Rose Gottemoeller, acting undersecretary for arms control and international security, will host a private ceremony with British officials at the State Department April 13 to mark the treaty’s entry into force.

The treaty, which is the first of its kind, creates “approved communities” of government agencies and companies that may export and transfer certain U.S. Munitions List items for preapproved end-uses within the United States and United Kingdom and to locations where military operations are being conducted or supported, according to the State Department.

To qualify for membership in these approved communities, companies must meet specific requirements.

Not all defense items qualify for the exemption. Classified defense articles and services, amphibious vehicles and various types of software source code are some of the items not eligible for the exemption.

If either country wants to re-export an item originally transferred under the treaty, it would require approval of the U.S. or British government.

The United Kingdom is already one of the United States’ biggest defense trading partners, accounting for more than $13 billion in authorized exports of defense articles and services from the United States in 2011, according to the State Department.

The United States has signed and ratified a similar treaty with Australia, but it has not yet entered into force.

April 12, 2012 defpro.com

Yesterday (11 April), a delegation from the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Macedonia, headed by the Minister of Defense Fatmir Besimi, took part in the Annual bilateral defense consultations with the USA in Pentagon, Washington D.C. The US delegation was headed by Celeste Wallander, Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Europe and Euro-Asia.

At the important bilateral defense consultations, the strategic partnership between the USA and the Republic of Macedonia was underlined as being very important for both the defense sector and for maintaining stability and economic prosperity.

The Annual bilateral defense consultations were an excellent opportunity to exchange views on the achievements in bilateral cooperation between the USA and the Republic of Macedonia, as well as on the level of implementation of defense reforms, the preparations for NATO membership and the contribution to peace, security and stability in regional and global frames.

At the consultations, the excellent cooperation between the Army of the Republic of Macedonia and National Guard Vermont was also confirmed, as this cooperation has led to further intensification of the joint initiatives and projects. The consultations also encompassed the bilateral cooperation, the regional initiatives and the integration to NATO.

In terms of bilateral cooperation, the importance of the cooperation heretofore was stated, as well as the opportunity for its further expansion. In addition, the opportunities for future cooperation and US support to the defense in the Republic of Macedonia were discussed, including modernization and development of Krivolak as a regional training center.

In regard to the NATO position, Minister Besimi underlined that the open door policy is of crucial importance as it coincides with the strategic priority of he Republic of Macedonia – integration to the Euro – Atlantic structures. “A strong argument in favor of our road to full-fledged Euro – Atlantic integration are the continuous reforms and the participation in the international peace operations ISAF, KFOR, EU, ALTHEA and UNIFIL“, stated Minister Besimi.

Furthermore, Minister Besimi added that the active participation in the regional initiatives and the fostering of good neighborly relations in the region is of vital importance to the country. An illustration of the above, according to Minister Besimi, are the projects of the Adriatic group A-5, established in the spirit of the Smart Defense concept, which are essentially an efficient mechanism for promotion of regional leadership, cooperation, mentoring and confidence building on the path towards full NATO integration. Namely, several projects were mentioned, among which the Military Police School for the Afghan National Army, the initiative for the Balkan Regional approach to air defense – BRAAD, the regional training centers, the capacities for regional civil emergencies, the regional medical group etc. In addition, a need was identified for a regional initiative on the level of a working group for coordinating the “Smart Defense” projects of the South Eastern Europe countries and Macedonia would take the role of regional leadership in coordinating this initiative.

Avr 12, 2012 Mieszko Dusautoy (BRUXELLES2)

Ce n’est pas nouveau, les avions de combat nouvelle génération coûtent chers. C’est particulièrement le cas pour le futur F 35 Lightning II, ou JSF (Joint Strike Fighter), venant remplacer les chasseurs de nombreuses armées euro-atlantiques dans les prochaines décennies. Le projet n’est pas nouveau, ses fluctuations et autres estimations erronées non plus (voir l’article d’il y a un an déjà: JSF / F35 : un prix qui s’envole, un rapport canadien qui décoiffe).

Deux rapports officiels viennent, coup sur coup, de le confirmer : le programme JSF coûte plus cher qu’annoncé initialement tandis que des lacunes techniques persistent, ce qui entraîne en plus des retards dans la production. Les deux rapports proviennent respectivement du Vérificateur Général pour le Canada et du Government Accountability Office pour les Etats-Unis, deux organes d’audit rattachés aux parlements et indépendants politiquement.

Ces deux rapports se montrent assez critiques vis-à-vis d’un programme qui paraissait alléchant suivant l’annonce qui en avait été faite : « Produire l’avion le plus polyvalent et le plus avancé au niveau technologique, tout en étant le moins cher ». S’il présente un intérêt indéniable en théorie, ce programme n’est pas si « abordable » que ça. Démonstration…

Un programme pour le moins ambitieux !

Le F 35: un avion unique adapté aux 3 armées

L’idée derrière le projet JSF est simple mais extrêmement ambitieuse: produire un avion de combat multi-rôle qui puisse remplacer les avions de chasse de nombreuses armées nationales, que ce soit dans leur composantes Air, Terre ou Mer. Ainsi, trois variantes du F 35 sont (étaient) prévues avec une double optique de rationalisation des coûts (encore et toujours…) et d’optimisation de l’efficacité (notamment en termes d’inter-opérabilité), c’est bien un seul modèle de base, adapté aux besoins spécifiques des 3 composantes, qui doit être construit.

Un avion construit en coopération … très dirigée

Entamé à la fin des années 1990, ce projet est « Le plus important programme de développement et d’approvisionnement de l’histoire du département de la Défense des Etats-Unis« , reconnaît le rapport canadien. Comprenant la conception, le développement, la fabrication et le maintien en service jusqu’en 2051, il est dirigé par les Etats-Unis avec la participation de huit autres partenaires: Australie, Canada, Danemark, Italie, Pays-Bas, Norvège, Turquie et Royaume-Uni. Il vise à produire plus de 3000 avions, dont l’écrasante majorité est destinée aux Etats-Unis (environ 2400), qui sont d’ailleurs les seuls à avoir commandé les trois modèles.

Prix qui augmentent, lacunes techniques et retards de production: un triptyque qui passe mal

Un coût réel sous-estimé

Le coût de sortie d’usine du F 35 a été largement sous-évalué au départ et a été régulièrement revu à la hausse depuis. Il a quasiment doublé en moins de 10 ans : passant de 49,9 millions de $ US en octobre 2001 à 84,9 millions $ en décembre 2009. Et cela devrait continuer ainsi, selon les rapports américain et canadien, quoiqu’avec une hausse moins forte dans les années à venir, grâce à des restructurations du programme à court terme. 

Plus important, c’est le coût réel – c’est-à-dire celui qui comprend le cycle de vie complet de l’avion -, qui a été sous-estimé. Selon le rapport canadien, qui rappelle que le calcul de ce coût est « une tâche complexe« , plusieurs facteurs « n’ont pas été pris en compte« : les avions de remplacement (l’armée doit en effet s’attendre à perdre certains de ses aéronefs), les mises à niveau futurs des logiciels mais aussi les armements… Facteurs auxquels viennent s’ajouter toutes les incertitudes liées à tout pronostic (prix du kérosène, taux de changes, etc.). Enfin, last but not least, la Défense nationale (ministère de la défense du Canada) a basé ses estimations sur un cycle de vie de 20 ans alors que celui du F 35 est estimé à 36 ans (ou 8000 heures de vol)…

Tous ces surcoûts pourraient obliger les ministères de la défense des pays partenaires de faire des coupes dans d’autres domaines, « provenant d’autres portions de ses budgets d’équipement ou de ses budgets opérationnels« .

Les « décisions prises jusqu’à présent, et celles à venir, auront des répercussions qui se feront sentir au cours des 40 prochaines années » précise le rapport canadien. Des « erreurs » assez grossières… commises sciemment, apparemment. Le vérificateur canadien affirme ainsi que « les représentants [de la Défense nationale] savaient que les coûts étaient susceptibles d’augmenter mais ils n’en ont pas informé les parlementaires ». Les retombées industrielles de ce programme sont, en réalité, le facteur prépondérant pour le gouvernement canadien (et probablement les autres). Et la Défense nationale n’a pas voulu « montrer » un programme trop coûteux.

Des problèmes techniques plus importants que prévu, qui entraînent des retards de livraison

Les deux rapports font mention de problèmes techniques qui retardent l’avancée du programme JSF. La phase de test a ainsi été prolongée jusqu’à 2018 (au lieu de 2012 comme annoncé initialement), date à laquelle seulement pourra débuter la phase de production « à plein régime ». L’échéancier a été repoussé à trois reprises déjà (en 2003, 2007, 2010). Parmi les problèmes techniques, le rapport américain précise que ce sont particulièrement les volets « logiciel », « communication » et autres systèmes logistiques qui sont plus complexes et plus longs à tester que prévu. Selon ce même rapport, le programme JSF est caractérisé par un degré de concurrence trop élevé, ce qui entraîne un processus plus compliqué et surtout, des chevauchements et du double travail entre les phases de développement, test et production. Par ailleurs, il rejoint le rapport canadien sur un autre point: commencer à fabriquer les avions avant que la phase de test soit entièrement terminée présente à la fois des risques techniques et des coûts additionnels, puisqu’il faut ensuite les modifier selon les résultats des tests. En réaction à ces différents problèmes, les gouvernements des pays partenaires ont considérablement réduit leurs commandes, au moins à court terme. Par exemple, les Etats-Unis ont diminué leurs commandes de 400, passant de 2866 à 2457 avions.

Télécharger les rapports dans Docs de B2 (*)

Apr 12, 2012 ASDNews Source : Rolls-Royce Plc

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has secured a contract to supply power and propulsion systems for the two latest vessels in the U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) programme.

Designed to operate in combat zones close to the shore (littoral waters), each LCS will be equipped with two Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines powering four large Mk1 waterjets. This will enable the vessels to reach speeds in excess of 40 knots.

This latest order is for ships named Little Rock and Sioux City, and follows previous orders for the Milwaukee and the Detroit, which are both under construction. Rolls-Royce already powers two Lockheed Martin Littoral Combat Ships, the USS Freedom, which was deployed two years early and the Fort Worth, which is due to complete trials later this spring.

Andrew Marsh, Rolls-Royce, President - Naval said: "This order builds on the success of the Rolls-Royce powered Littoral Combat Ships to date and we're delighted that we will also power the Little Rock and the Sioux City.

"We have worked closely with Lockheed Martin, the U.S. Navy and other partners during the LCS programme, using our extensive experience to further develop these highly advanced ships. The combination of the MT30 gas turbine and our latest waterjet technology will ensure these ships are at the cutting edge of global naval capability."

The MT30 is derived from Rolls-Royce aero engine technology and builds on over 45 million hours of operating experience.  At 36 megawatts, it is the world's most powerful marine gas turbine and has the highest power density - a key factor in naval propulsion where delivering a high power output in a compact space is essential. The MT30 has also been selected for the U.S. Navy's DDG-1000 Zumwalt class destroyer programme as well as the UK Royal Navy's new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers.

The waterjets are among the largest produced by Rolls-Royce and can pump water at a combined rate of 25,000 gallons per second - enough to fill an Olympic style swimming pool in 25 seconds.

In addition to gas turbines and waterjets, a significant range of Rolls-Royce equipment is specified in the Lockheed Martin design, including shaftlines, bearings and propulsion system software.

Photo House of Commons

Apr 11, 2012 By Robert Wall - aerospace daily and defense report

LONDON — The long-running process to ease the rules governing the export of defense articles between the U.S. and U.K. has suffered another delay, but should still be ready to move forward soon.

London was hoping to complete the so-called U.S./U.K. Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty before the end of March. However, the Defense Ministry now says that “the Exchange of Notes to bring the Treaty into force will take place following the Easter break.”

The treaty was first agreed upon in 2007 but was slow to make progress in the U.S. in the face of congressional concerns over easing the terms of arms transfers. The U.S. Senate, however, approved the document in September 2010.

The deal allows the transfer of defense articles between the two countries without prior licenses under certain conditions, such as when they relate to a previously agreed list of projects. A similar accord exists between the U.S. and Australia.

for Two Additional HC-144A Ocean Sentry Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Apr 11, 2012 ASDNews Source : European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company

The U.S. Coast Guard has exercised a $78.5 million contract option to purchase the service's 16th and 17th HC-144A Ocean Sentry Maritime Patrol Aircraft from prime contractor EADS North America. The HC-144A is based on the Airbus Military CN235 tactical airlifter. More than 250 CN235 aircraft are currently being operated by 27 countries.

The option is part of a contract awarded to EADS North America in August 2010 for three aircraft, plus options for up to six additional aircraft.

"The HC-144A is central to the Coast Guard's ability to execute its increasingly demanding mission, and we're proud to continue to deliver this critical capability on time and on cost," said Sean O'Keefe, EADS North America Chairman and CEO.

Under this contract, EADS North America has already delivered two HC-144As, the 12th and 13th for the service -- both delivered on budget and ahead of schedule. The 14th aircraft is due for delivery by July.

The Coast Guard exercised the first option on the contract for the 15th HC-144A in August 2011, with delivery expected in 2013. The 16th and 17th aircraft will be delivered in 2014. The remaining options left on the contract, for up to three additional aircraft, can be exercised sometime in the next two years. Coast Guard plans call for acquiring a total of 36 HC-144As.

With the ability to remain airborne for more than ten hours, the Ocean Sentry is performing a wide range of missions for the Coast Guard, including maritime patrol, drug and migrant interdiction, disaster response, and search and rescue. The HC-144A achieved initial operational capability with the Coast Guard in 2008, and today is fully operational from Coast Guard air stations in Mobile, Ala., and Miami, Fla.

EADS North America delivers the HC-144A equipped with a search radar, electro-optical and infrared cameras, an Automatic Identification System for data collection from vessels at sea, and a communications suite.

The Ocean Sentry's rear cargo ramp enables easy loading and unloading of the Coast Guard's palletized mission system. The mission system can be removed for airlift, cargo, and MEDEVAC missions, freeing up the large cabin for additional transport capacity. The rear ramp can be opened in flight to deploy search-and-rescue equipment.

April 10, 2012. David Pugliese Defence Watch

From the World Aeronautical Press Agency:

The Netherlands will reduce its operational F-16 fighter fleet from 87 to 68 aircraft and declares that the decision on buying the F-35 “Joint Strike Fighter” has been deferred until after elections planned in 2015.

Moredetails

08 Apr 2012 The Telegraph

An RAF Chinook helicopter has made an emergency landing during military exercises in the United States, the Ministry of Defence said today.

The aircraft touched down in a remote, unpopulated area of the southern US at around 7.30pm BST yesterday.

None of the Chinook's crew is believed to be injured and an investigation into the emergency landing has been launched.

An MoD spokesman said: "We can confirm that an RAF Chinook helicopter made an emergency landing during military exercises in the southern US yesterday. The incident is under investigation."

It is not yet known what damage, if any, the military helicopter sustained.

The Chinook came down in the Arizona desert near Yuma after suffering a "mishap" during a landing exercise, according to AP news agency.

The agency quoted military spokeswoman Michelle Dee, who said the crew was practising how to land the aircraft 15 miles north-east of Yuma when "something went wrong."

She added that the seven people on-board the Chinook sustained minor injuries and were sent to hospital as a precautionary measure.

The aircraft was damaged in the landing but it is not known how badly, she said.

It is believed the RAF craft was operating out of the Naval Air Facility El Centro in California's Imperial Valley, which hosts allied troops throughout the year.

The mountainous area has a similar environment to those faced by troops in Afghanistan.

The RAF operates the largest fleet of Chinook Support Helicopters after the US Army, with a total of 34 HC2s, 6 HC2As and 8 HC3s.

It describes the aircraft as "a very capable and versatile support helicopter that can be operated in many diverse environments ranging from cold weather 'arctic' conditions to desert warfare operations".

Apr 5, 2012 ASDNews Source : Lockheed Martin Corporation

The first F-35 Lightning II for The Netherlands rolled out of the F-35 production facility on April 1. This is the latest step in the production process leading to its eventual assignment to Eglin AFB, Fla., later this summer.

The Netherlands will use the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) jet, known as AN-1, for training and operational tests for pilots and maintainers. AN-1 will undergo functional fuel system checks before being transported to the flight line for ground and flight tests in the coming weeks.

The Royal Netherlands Air Force continues to be at the forefront of flight testing and pilot training and remains at the leading edge of advanced 5th Generation fighter technology.

April 4, 2012 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Algemene Rekenkamer (Dutch Court of Audit); published April 3, 2012)

Monitoring the Replacement of the F-16

The Netherlands Court of Audit has investigated the deployability of the F-16 and developments concerning the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). We investigated whether the House of Representatives had an insight into the costs of the F-16 and the JSF.

Provision of information on the F-16 and the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF)

The Ministry of Defence will continue to invest in two fighter aircraft – the F-16 and the JSF – in the years ahead. These two aircraft are related to each other both financially and operationally. Despite this relationship, comprehensive information on the F-16 and its replacement is still not provided. Owing to the different rules in place for the provision of information on the F-16 and the F-16 Replacement Programme, the information is currently spread across a variety of documents. In our opinion, the financial and operational relationship between the two fighter aircraft requires the minister to provide the House of Representatives with a comprehensive overview in addition to the separate documents.

Current deployability of the F-16

We concluded that there was an imbalance between the government's ambitions, the budget for flying hours, the number of pilots and the number of aircraft. The Rutte/Verhagen government wants to have and maintain multi-role armed forces. Between 2011-2015, however, the Ministry of Defence must cut expenditure by €2.3 billion and make structural savings of €635 million in subsequent years. To reduce expenditure, it will sell 19 of its 87 F-16s. The number of pilots has already been reduced to 68 and the F-16s may fly fewer hours per annum.

The government wants the armed forces to protect Dutch air space permanently with the F-16s and be able to participate once a year in an international intervention operation or make a long-term contribution to a stabilisation operation. Training sufficient pilots, however, requires so many flying hours that participation in a mission, such as that above Libya, is no longer compatible with the budget available for F-16 flying hours. We also concluded that the Minister of Defence's ability to provide an overview of the current F-16 operational costs was limited.

The 19 F-16s earmarked for disposal have not been immediately grounded. In consequence, fewer hours need to be flown per aircraft.

Deployability of the F-16: consequences of longer deployment

We concluded that a fixed plan to phase out the F-16 is missing an important ingredient to make a relevant calculation of the operational and financial consequences of the longer deployment of the F-16. The minister has informed the House of Representatives that he must invest an additional €300 million in the current F-16s. This figure does not include all additional expenditure, such as the increase in materiel operating costs, the replacement of wings, the cost of air safety, airworthiness and maintenance and operational self-protection as from 2021.

We also concluded that it is currently uncertain how the minister will allocate his materiel budget to the necessary number of new fighter aircraft and additional investments in the current aircraft. The operational deployability of the F-16 will decline further as the aircraft age in the years ahead. This will place additional pressure on the balance between ambitions, budget, materiel and personnel.

Replacement of the F-16: developments concerning the JSF

We concluded that the minister has not reviewed the programme to replace the F-16. The government has reserved €4.5 billion to replace the F-16. The minister will spend €0.5 billion of this amount before the end of 2015. We concluded that the involvement in and the possible cost of withdrawing from the JSF programme to replace the F-16 will increase further. The American Department of Defense's failure to take a decision in 2011 has created extra uncertainty about the planning and the costs of the Dutch JSF programme and the consequences for Dutch industry.

We recommend that the ministers concerned and the House of Representatives together consider how they can provide comprehensive information on the F-16 and the JSF. The aim should be to provide more insight into the relationship within and between:

-- the decisions to invest in the F-16 and its proposed successor;
-- the operation of the F-16 and its proposed successor;
-- the operational effectiveness of the air force and the ambitions for the armed forces.

In our opinion, the annual report prepared for the House of Representatives' Large Projects Programme would be suitable to present such comprehensive information.

In response to our report, the minister undertook to study how he could provide comprehensive information of the investments in and deployment of the F-16 in relation to the F-16 Replacement Programme. He thought our approach to determine the balance between ambitions on the one hand and resources, people and budget on the other was in principle correct. Setting priorities for the deployment of the F-16, according to the minister, may temporarily be at the cost of pilot education and training.

The minister recognises that an accurate calculation of the operational and financial consequences of the longer deployment of the F-16 cannot be made until it is known when the aircraft will be taken out of operation. The lack of plans to phase out the F-16, he observes, is a political given. The minister would budget €300 million to ensure the technical deployability of the F-16 until 2026. He would improve the operational deployability of the F-16 by this amount until 2021.

The minister will inform the House in the near future about the relationship between the F-16s to be disposed of and those to be retained. The ministry was working hard on improving the information provided on the operating costs of weapons systems.

Court of Audit's afterword

We appreciate the minister's undertaking to investigate how he can prepare comprehensive information on the investments in and operation of the F-16 in relation to the F-16 Replacement Programme and the Ministry of Defence's operational ambitions. Comprehensive information will reveal the relationship between the programmes to lengthen the life of the F-16 and to replace the F-16. We suggest that the minister consider which ambitions are realistic within the given budgetary frameworks.


Click here for the full report (98 pages in PDF format) on the Rekenkamer website.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Overlooked in the report is the Court’s revelation that the Dutch air force is unable to deploy its F-16s on foreign operations because budget restrictions have reduced pilot training to insufficient levels:
“In May 2011, the total budgeted number of flying hours for the F-16s in 2011 was reduced from 17,000 to 13,500. With effect from 2012 the number of hours will be 12,800 a year.”
The Court also notes that the Netherlands can no longer meet their military commitment to NATO:
“Given NATO’s current readiness requirements for its partner countries, the government’s ambitions are out of balance with the budgeted number of flying hours, the number of pilots and the number of aircraft. … The Netherlands also currently fails to meet the NATO standard for the number of pilots per operational aircraft (the ‘crew ratio’). In peacetime this is 1.2. The Netherlands has 68 pilots and 68 to 87 aircraft, so its crew ratio is currently 1 or less.”)