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Home | Update | LATEST ISSUE | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 1/98 EUROFIGHTER GETS GO AHEAD FROM GERMAN PARLIAMENT by Karl Schwarz It's done: On 26 November, the German parliament has, as expected, cleared the way for the production preparation and the procurement of the Eurofighter. The discussion about one of the biggest defence programs in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany had been going on for almost two decades. The fighter, which was initially called Jäger 90, has always had a negative image - not least because the political controversy was characterized by emotions rather than by facts. The slogan of the opposing parties ("kindergartens instead of fighter jets") completely passed by reality. Even after the end of the Cold War the already downsized German forces have not become surplus. The question therefore must be: Which equipment do they need to meet their expanded tasks (for example in the frame of UN missions) and, what can be financed out of the tight defence budget? With this in mind, everything is pointing towards the Eurofighter today - as it has been in the past. The necessity to replace the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) F-4F Phantoms is undisputed. Even after the most recent upgrade, the fifties designed fighter is outdated. Furthermore, the maintenance effort to keep the fleet in the air is increasing significantly with age. The MiG-29s which were inherited from the former East German forces have a much better performance in many respects but their service-life is very limited, as compared to western fighters. The idea of buying a fighter on the market is not very realistic. Existing models, such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon, may be cheaper but, they are not as good as the Eurofighter which is designed to meet future challenges up until the year 2050. The new French fighter Dassault Rafale would be an option performancewise but is too expensive. The future American super-fighter Lockheed Martin F-22 is entirely out of the question. First, it won't be available for export for a long while, and, secondly, its costs even give the US Pentagon a headache. Buying on the market or building in licence has some serious industry political disadvantages too. The development costs for the Eurofighter would be lost and the trust in Germany as a reliable partner for European cooperation programs would be seriously shattered. And that is something that our industry can least afford. Only those who have a hand in important projects, have the option to influence things. The aerospace industry is more than just Airbus. Not in the least Boeing, with taking over McDonnell Douglas, has again proven that civil and military businesses belong together. This not only applies to the large companies of the branch but also for the suppliers, which are mainly small and medium-size companies in Germany. According to the German Aerospace Industry Association (BDLI), the Eurofighter program will secure up to 18000 jobs at the peak of the production activities. Not just because of that was the decision for the Eurofighter due long ago. All of this doesn't mean to brush aside all the rational criticism concerning the planned number of aircraft, the performance, or the technological progress of the not yet completed development program, something that German defence minister Rühe likes to do lately. The defence ministry and industry should rather try to eliminate existing weak points as fast as possible and to keep the program within the given cost frame of DM23 billion. This will be the only way to put the Eurofighter on a stable basis in the long run. From page 4 of FLUG REVUE 1/98 Home | Update | LATEST ISSUE | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 1/98 Copyright 1997/98 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved. Last updated December 5, 1997 FLUG REVUE, Ubierstr. 83, 53173 Bonn, Germany