On the occasion of its Trade Media Briefing 2019 in Manching (Germany) which was held earlier this week, Airbus DS brought together the specialist press for a complete review of its defense activities. Besides the unveiling a stealth aircraft project, the company discussed the next capacity developments of the Eurofighter EF-2000, a fighter which, for Airbus DS, must imperatively meet current standards while serving as a basis for future development of the Future Air Combat System (FCAS)
THE EUROFIGHTER ECR/SEAD: A PALLIATIVE SOLUTION TO THE DEFICIENCIES OF THE LUFTWAFFE
Announced at Le Bourget in June 2019, the European aircraft manufacturer presented its Typhoon ECR /SEAD (Electronic Combat Role/Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses), a variant of the Eurofighter dedicated to electronic warfare and attack against ground air defenses. The primary purpose of this new version is to oppose a credible competitor to the Boeing E/A-18G Growler as part of the replacement of the Tornado ECR of the Luftwaffe which, after 40 years of good and loyal service, are out of breath.
This new configuration of the Eurofighter only responds to a growing need of European States in this area – a natural evolution of Typhoon – having regard to its deployment in the Libyan, Syrian and Iraqi theaters of operations. Furthermore, the use of the Eurofighter has evolved significantly over the decade. Initially designed to fulfill air supremacy missions (Air-Air), the Typhoon had to gradually compensate for the retirement of a number of Tornado ECRs – both Italian, German and British – and thus carry out air support missions for which it was absolutely not “designated”.
With such a configuration, there is no doubt that the European firm hopes to tip the balance in its favor for the future order from the Luftwaffe to replace the Tornado. To date, the European aircraft manufacturer would offer the German authorities 85 Eurofighter ECR/SEAD, including 45 with “strategic capabilities” (understand “nuclear capable”) and 40 with offensive jamming capability. According to Kurt Rossner, head of the “Air Combat” department at Airbus DS, this variation is closely linked to German manufacturers and would form a coherent and logical step in the Eurofighter capability roadmap. Airbus is also aiming for a second contract with the Luftwaffe in the first quarter of 2020, relating to the modernization of 38 Eurofighter EF-2000s from tranche 1, models delivered at the start of the 2000s.
A POLITICAL AND INDUSTRIAL ISSUE
The call for tenders launched by the German government to replace all of its Tornado vehicles by 2030 is eminently political. In addition to the European consortium Eurofighter GmbH, Boeing and its F/A-18 Super Hornet – and its electronic warfare version E/A-18 Growler – are still in the running after the elimination of the F-35A from Lockheed Martin in January 2019. However, for the German government, it is a question of replacing an aircraft capable of carrying nuclear charges – namely the American B-61 gravity bomb – as part of NATO nuclear sharing. However, neither the Eurofighter nor the Super Hornet are capable of transporting an American nuclear warhead.
Thus, Germany finds itself faced with a real political-military-industrial dilemma opposing two options, each of which has major disadvantages. Either the German authorities give in to the wishes of the Luftwaffe and choose to order a reduced number of F-35As to carry out their nuclear imperatives, but such a decision would amount to pillorying Franco-German cooperation and related programs (SCAF, MGCS ) ; either Germany makes an exclusive purchase of Eurofighter while embarking on a process of certification of the aircraft to assume nuclear missions but this would take, according to the Pentagon, 4 to 5 years, which would imply maintaining the Tornado in service by 2030. This second solution would be very favorable to German industry but the counterpart would remain a very expensive MCO given the advanced age of the Tornado.
The subject divides across the Rhine with a part of the political class which would favor a European solution embodied by the Eurofighter while the Luftwaffe would lean in favor of an American-made aircraft. A difficult choice therefore, which will weigh significantly on the political, industrial but also capacity orientations of Germany for the next decades to come.
A CHOICE THAT WOULD STRENGTHEN THE CREDIBILITY OF SCAF
The choice of a solution made in Germany by the German authorities would undeniably go in the direction of Europe. First of all, the industrial challenge is significant: orders for the Eurofighter currently have a visibility of 4 to 5 years and this, only thanks to large exports. In fact, the order book is reaching the end of its run in Europe because of the 487 aircraft ordered by Germany, Italy, Spain and Great Britain, 481 have already been delivered. In addition to the industrial aspect, it involves maintaining a production chain distributed across four European countries, with a number of jobs at stake.
Finally, just like the Rafale, the Eurofighter is destined to play a central role in the development of the Future Air Combat System (FCAS) and more generally, the Franco-German-Spanish partnership. Indeed, the development logic of the SCAF is intended to be incremental, its realization will require the acquisition of technological building blocks essential to the maturation of the project. However, as much as Rafale as the Eurofighter, as well as their future standards, will constitute important steps, input data into the ongoing reflection on the SCAF, with which they will be fully interoperable: they will lay the first essential technological building blocks of connectivity for the collaborative combat of tomorrow.
Axel Trinquier – European defense issues
