Posted on 01/31/2019 8:00:17 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
BERLIN: Germany will pick either the Eurofighter or Boeing's F/A-18 fighter jet to replace its Tornado warplanes, knocking Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth fighter out of a tender worth billions of euros, Defence Ministry sources said on Thursday (Jan 31).
The ministry will make a final decision after receiving detailed information from Boeing and Airbus about the aircraft, which must be able to carry US nuclear weapons to fulfill Germany's obligations to NATO, the sources said.
No timetable for a decision was given, but the process could take time since the US government will have to certify both jets to carry the nuclear weapons. Germany has 85 operational Tornado jets, but not all are equipped to carry nuclear weapons.
The German air force will also move ahead with long-awaited plans to replace its 33 oldest Eurofighter jets, now used mainly for air policing or training, with new, more capable Eurofighters in coming years, the sources said.
That will translate into orders worth up to €3 billion (US$3.4 billion) for Airbus, according to sources familiar with the issue.
In marketing the F/A-18, Boeing had underscored its high readiness rates, relatively low cost and strong electronic attack capabilities, arguments that resonated in military circles.
BERLIN: Germany will pick either the Eurofighter or Boeing's F/A-18 fighter jet to replace its Tornado warplanes, knocking Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth fighter out of a tender worth billions of euros, Defence Ministry sources said on Thursday (Jan 31).
The ministry will make a final decision after receiving detailed information from Boeing and Airbus about the aircraft, which must be able to carry US nuclear weapons to fulfill Germany's obligations to NATO, the sources said.
No timetable for a decision was given, but the process could take time since the
(Excerpt) Read more at channelnewsasia.com ...
They’ll probably pick the Eurofighter since they already have that type in service to streamline logistics and training.
they were never going to choose anything other than their home grown gear. it’s what european socialists do; that’s how it works.
Well, actually when it comes to armaments, home-grown gear is a big plus. This is true whether you're an economic dumb-ass (socialist) or not.
Any nation-state that values its security does NOT place its armament supply under control of an external power.
Also a big FU to Trump by Merckle as price per unit goes up to the American taxpayer.
you misused the term, “nation-state” — at least as it relates (or doesn’t relate, actually) to my post. you also don’t understand the supply chain or manner of manufacture for the eurofigter.
I’ll stop there.
The Eurofighter is also faster, more maneuverable, and has three times the unrefueled range of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Both are fine aircraft, but the Eurofighter is a more recent design and seems to have the edge on the merits.
FTFY
They’ll probably pick the Eurofighter since because it pours Euromoney in to Eurojobs.
Yes, but what is the RCS on the Eurofighter? The job, nuclear interdiction, requires a plane that is survivable. If there’s one area that the Russians excel at it’s air defense radars & missiles.
That’s true. Replacing the Tornado with the Eurofighter is almost like replacing the A-10 with the F-35.
The Tornado excelled in NoE, the Eurofighter with it’s underslung intakes is going to be more vulnerable to ground fire much like the P-51/A-36 was
If the Germans wanted stealth they would have picked the F-35. Oddly, they did not, despite glowing reviews of the new aircraft from its first European customers and the rapidly declining price. I surmise that the reason for shunning the F-35 is that its small internal bomb bays are too small for a nuclear bomb and would require external carriage that mostly negates stealth.
They also wouldn’t want to give billions to Boeing when they have such headaches competing with the AirBus.
I know, I used the A-10 as a comparison between the two airframes.
1970’s technology (A-10 and Tornado) compared to 2000’s technology (F-35 and Eurofighter).
Supposedly, in addition to the influence of Congressional pressure, the US Air Force had a genuine change of heart about keeping the A-10 when its simulations and air exercises showed that the pairing of an A-10 down low with an F-35 on top was unusually effective in providing cover and support for the rescue of downed airmen. I can imagine that insight is now also being incorporated into the advance planning of potential air attack missions against Iran and North Korea.
The Airforce has finally funded the replacement wings for the remaining 119
A-10’s.
A good decision. Are the avionics and comms also being upgraded to the A-10C standard?
The F-35 is a turkey. Expensive, doesn’t fly that well, and the only thing it has going for it is its electronics. The reason for that is that all electronics improvement have been targeted to the F-35 to make it competitive.
Add the same electronics to the F-22 and there simply is no comparison. Heck, the F-22 still has better radar than the F-35 even now.
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