Andrzej Jeziorski/Munich
THE GREEK AIR FORCE has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for laser-designator pods to equip its McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom fleet, due to be upgraded shortly.
The candidates under consideration are the GEC-Marconi Defence Systems TIALD pod, Lockheed Martin's LANTIRN and Rafael's Litening pod.
The manufacturers attended a bidders' conference, discussing the RFP in Greece, in early October.
According to sources close to the programme, the Greek air force wants to buy between 20 and 25 pods, and specifies in the RFP that they should be compatible with its Lockheed Martin F-16s and A-7 Corsairs as well as the Phantoms.
The air force says that the tender for the Phantom upgrade has been closed, with both bidders - Daimler-Benz Aerospace (DASA) and Rockwell - being called in for fresh negotiations. Each of the initial bids failed to meet Greek requirements, with the German bid substantially undercut by Rockwell's proposal, which was about 35% cheaper.
Greece is considering upgrading about 40 aircraft from its fleet of 48 F-4Es and seven RF-4Es. A further 28 F-4Es are now being delivered and 18 more RF-4Es are also to be acquired. Air force officials say that whether the upgrade does go ahead depends mainly on the price of the offers. An alternative would be a further F-16 order, of some 40-50 aircraft. Lockheed Martin has been lobbying heavily in favour of an F-16-only procurement.
DASA is offering an upgrade package similar to that of the German air force F-4F ICE, but with improved display capabilities. This upgrade includes the AIM-120 AMRAAM-compatible APG-65 radar licence-built by DASA. The Rockwell package, includes an APG-68 radar similar to that fitted to Greek F-16s.
Source: Flight International
