Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1333129
a worthy successor. The actions in question have been subject to two requirements nar- rowing the possible selection range down. The first one was the necessity to replace the Tornado ECR (SEAD) jets. It was assumed that the Luftwaffe would be needing 30 to 40 air- craft as such. The second requirement here was the capacity to carry the B-61 nuclear bombs. Until 2025 this capability is provided by the Tornado IDS platform, belonging to the 33rd Wing. Germany is one of the members of the NATO Nuclear Sharing initiative. The parti- cipants committed to owning nuclear-capable strike aircraft. Several 4th, as well as 5th generation plat- forms, have been taken into the equation as the possible Tornado replacement. In 2018, a request was issued, aimed at getting details about the potential offer that could be placed by three manufacturers of four aircraft types: Lockheed Martin (F-35), Boeing (F/A-18E/F Super Hornet/E/A-18G Growler Duo, and F-15 Eagle), and Airbus offering the new Eurofighter variants - the standard Tranche 4 jets and the Eurofighter ECR proposal, for SEAD role. Back in January 2019, it was announced that the German decisionmakers narrowed down their choice to the latter two designs. The final decision was announced in April 2020. Ultimately, and surprisingly, the German government decided to divide the procurement and acquire two different types of aircraft. Eurofighters would constitute the bulk of the acquisition - they have been designed and they are being manufactured with major involve- ment of the German industry. The German Air Force would be acquiring 50, or even up to 90 Tranche 4 Typhoons. The second win- ner here is the Boeing company that would be supplying Luftwaffe with another two aircraft: 30 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and 15 E/A-18G Growlers. The division of the procurement and selection of Boeing's offer is supported by two primary arguments. The first one was the necessity to procure nuclear-capable air- craft that would be able to carry the B-61 nu- kes (it turned out that making the Eurofighter nuclear-capable, with the B-61, would be too expensive). The second argument was dicta- ted by the necessity to replace the Tornado ECR fleet. The Boeing E/A-18G Growler is the sole Western aircraft that has been designed for the SEAD role specifically. Noteworthy, the Super Hornets are not (cu- rrently) nuclear-capable. Solely the legacy F/A-18 Hornets were offering this set of ca- pabilities. However, as Boeing declared, the company is supported by the US government, when it comes to the rapid performance of in- tegration works here. The company would be able to deliver B-61-capable aircraft meeting the German timeline. The German Air Force is also driven to upgra- de its existing fleet of aircraft. The multi-role Tranche 2 and Tranche 3A Eurofighters are subjected to P1Eb, P2Ea, and P2Eb enhance- ments. Within the framework of those upgra- des, the Eurofighters have been made capable of carrying Meteor AAMs, GBU-48 bombs, or Litening III targeting pods. HMSS helmet-mo- unted sight has also been integrated into the aircraft. At the moment the Luftwaffe is en- gaged in the P3E effort. The main element of that upgrade is the new E-SCAN ECRS Mk 1 AESA radar with a multi-channel receiver. The latter feature that makes the radar far more re- sistant to jamming distinguishes the German- Spanish sensor from the ECRS Mk 0 export variant. On June 16th, 2020, the German government authorized the MoD to sign an agreement with Airbus, on the development, manufacturing, and integration of 110 new radars that would replace the legacy Captor-M sensors (mecha- nically-scanned arrays) on 79 jets belonging to Tranche 2 and 31 Tranche 3A aircraft groups. The agreement worth EUR 1.7 bn. was signed on June 26th. According to the provisions of the aforesaid agreement, Airbus Defence and Space would be responsible for the process of fitting the new radar on the jets. An inter- national consortium led by Hensoldt and Indra would be the contractor here. The consortium would also involve the remaining partners of the Eurofighter program. The first new radars are scheduled to be received by the customer in 2023. www.fragoutmag.com