Posted on 07/21/2004 1:53:09 PM PDT by klpt
Military hardware makers are taking centre stage as the aerospace industry gathers at the world's largest air show in Farnborough this week. After a low profile at last year's Paris show - thanks in part to the absence of Americans following the stand-off between France and the US over Iraq - makers of fighter jets, attack helicopters and missiles are back with a vengeance. This year, the Pentagon returns with several high-level delegations that include a dozen generals and admirals, reinforcing the view that the US plans to continue spending big on arms.
John Douglass, chief executive of the Aerospace Industries Association, told trade magazine Aviation Week that there is pent-up demand from the reduced US participation at Paris 2003.
As a customer, the Pentagon is in a much better state than a civil aviation industry which is still burdened both by high crude oil prices and by the effects of the Iraqi war and the Sars virus on air travel.
Here to woo the US top brass are F-16 fighter jet maker Lockheed Martin, which has seen sales of its range of military aircraft soar in recent months, AgustaWestland, which is showing off its latest range of fighting helicopters, and Aermacchi, whose M-346 futuristic jet prototype will take part in an air display.
Military procurement officials also get to see what to expect from future warfare. Both Boeing and Northrop Grumman are showing off prototype models of unmanned fighter planes.
Their hope is to secure orders for their wares from equipment hungry armies, navies and air forces. Reduced spending
But as the top military brass rubs shoulders with manufacturers, it becomes apparent that the desire by senior officers to better kit out their forces may not always be matched by their spending power.
In the UK, visitors to Farnborough are about to witness cuts in the defence budget on Wednesdsay after the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown recently set out plans to rein in government spending.
Central to the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) ambitions is the Eurofighter project which has suffered from both severe cost overruns and delays.
The second tranche of Eurofighter - a joint fighter jet project between the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain - is being held up as the UK is dragging its feet over a contract for more than 230 Eurofighters.
The British had been expected to sign the so-called Tranche Two contract at the Farnborough show, thus enabling the project to move forward, but this now seems unlikely.
Industry observers say a spat between the MoD and Europe's biggest defence contractor, BAE Systems, is at the heart of the delay which is expected to push the project's costs sharply higher.
But Lord Bach, Minister for Defence Procurement, rejected that relations between the Mod and BAE Systems are strained.
"Of course, there are bound to be tensions between an important contractor and their most important customer," he acknowledged in an interview with BBC World Business Report.
But in fact, "relations are good and we work very good together on very important projects for the armed forces", he added.
Scaled down
Along with the fresh doubts about the Eurofighter project, concerns are also emerging about the Farnborough show's future.
According to Aviation Week Farnborough's director, Trevor Sidebottom, believes the next show - due to be held in 2006 - could well be slimmed down.
There is talk, even among manufacturers, of cancelling the public days, having fewer trading days, moving the show away from Farnborough, and even changing the timing of the show to September.
"The market is saturated," said John Douglass of the Aerospace Industries Association. "We're cutting back on these shows, reducing our presence across the board."
The air show format, it seems, is quickly becoming obsolete as a forum for deal making, in part thanks to rapid consolidation and the urgency of cost cutting by companies in the aerospace industry.
As such the rise in exhibitor numbers - to 1,360 this year from 1,240 in 2002 - belies the state of affairs at Farnborough.
Even the 150,000 trade visitors who are expected to visit the show this week do little to alleviate fears that the Farnborough show is increasingly seen as irrelevant by some of its traditional backers.
"The manufacturers would like to see a less frequent schedule," said Mr Douglass.
"The expense has got to be more affordable or the show phenomenon is going to erode more quickly."
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/624813/L/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/624558/L/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/624552/L/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/620935/L/
Aermacchi, M-346...looks like a toy.
http://www.flug-revue.rotor.com/FRTypen/Fotos/aermachi/M-346FF.JPG
It looks like it's intended to compete against the BAe Hawk or the AlphaJet.
I wouldn't mind one for my back yard.
Cool pictures -- thanks.
(I don't know if it was wise to have an F-18 with a death-skull decal on it. I'm in the military and I realize the point of the military is to kill opponents -- even so, it seems a little out of place for an air show.)
It is a Squadron insignia and you don't repaint aircraft to be politicaly correct.
Okay -- that makes sense.
Some cool pics for every one to see.
The Boeing X-45C
http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2004/photorelease/q3/pr_040719s.html
The Northrop X-47B
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/3906653.stm
Airliners.net- The aviation counterpart of DU.
Re: Toy: I would love to have one!
Delightful oops moment at Farnborough yesterday. B52 scheduled to make flypast during the display. Everybody waiting expectantly, crowd of thousands. Control tower sees B52 solemnly making low pass over Blackbush airfield 5 miles to north. Disappears into distance and never seen again...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/07/21/nfarn21.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/07/21/ixhome.html
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