Non-Subscriber Extract
Dutch invited to become Eurofighter partner
- Article Tools
| 16 October 2000 |
Joris Janssen Lok JDW Special Correspondent
The Hague
The four founding Eurofighter nations - Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK - have invited the Netherlands to join their fighter aircraft programme as an equal partner. The offer was conveyed in a letter signed by the defence ministers of the four countries last week and addressed to their Dutch counterpart, Frank de Grave.
The invitation comes at a crucial time in the Netherlands' Lockheed Martin F-16 replacement programme, which aims to introduce a new fleet of 100-120 fighter aircraft between 2010 and 2025. This process is being pursued as a two-track effort, the first of which is to evaluate a range of candidates to replace the F-16.
The options under consideration include Boeing's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet (USA), Dassault Aviation's Rafale (France), the Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin's Advanced F-16 (USA), the Saab-BAE Systems 'Super Gripen' (Sweden and UK) and the US-led Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Other alternatives include an 'End-of-Life Update' to the existing F-16 fleet and the procurement of unmanned air vehicles.
A second track considers exploiting the possibilities for Dutch involvement in the pending engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the JSF programme.
Track 1 results are due to be reported to the Dutch Parliament early next year, while Track 2 recommendations are expected to be made around June. The latter is timed so that the Netherlands could be ready to sign a JSF EMD memorandum of understanding with the USA by next October, officials in The Hague said. The Netherlands has invested NLG290 million ($114 million) in positioning its aerospace industry for JSF EMD participation.
According to Andy Lewis, executive vice-president for Eurofighter International, the new offer enables the Dutch to join the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA), as well as its supervising organisation NETMO. "It means that on a basis of equal partnership, the Netherlands can help determine what the Tranche 3 Eurofighter will look like," said Lewis.
Spanning the delivery of 236 aircraft for the Eurofighter launch nations, the third delivery batch will see the multirole fighters begin entering service by 2010. Contracts have been signed for a first batch of 148 aircraft, with signatures to define a 236-strong Tranche 2 order in the process of being put to paper, according to Lewis. "Tranche 3 Eurofighters will be very different to Tranche 1 aircraft because they will benefit from 10 years' worth of technology development."
New features for Tranche 3 aircraft could include the AMSAR active electronically-scanned array radar, thrust vector control, future air system technologies, conformal fuel tanks, engine modifications, sensor upgrades, avionics architecture redesign, new weapons integration and advanced aerostructures technology.
Last week's Eurofighter offer is opening up a new avenue for high-value Dutch industry participation comparable to that offered by JSF, but without the latter programme's hefty entrance fee, said Lewis. Work on the Typhoon will be available in research and development and production, he said, "provided Dutch industry can offer best technology at best price".
French Defence Minister Alain Richard last week told a symposium of the Netherlands defence manufacturers association that he hopes the Dutch will join Dassault's Rafale programme. The French company last June submitted a proposal for the Netherlands to participate in a further 'Standard F4' development of the aircraft.