Tim Ripley
Aircraft manufacturers in the USA and Europe are likely to receive a huge windfall from the Kosovo conflict, says a report from top US analysts Forecast International.
This will be on top of the $500 million in urgent spending to re-stock USA and UK's arsenals of "smart" weapons already announced.
Shortfalls in airlift, precision strike, reconnaissance and electronic warfare capabilities were all highlighted during the 79-day air campaign, the company's special report on the conflict says.
While these programmes, along with next generation fighter production in the USA and Europe, are likely to be accelerated, the report's authors suggest future advanced attack helicopters programmes could be "difficult to justify".
Missiles
The refusal of President Bill Clinton to commit US Apache attack helicopters to action because of a "paralysing fear" of losing them to shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles calls into question the entire issue of helicopter utility and survivability on the battlefield of the future.
Without some greatly-enhanced defensive system to counter infrared and laser-guided missiles, the deployment of helicopters could become suicidal.
As a result of the conflict, the USA is likely to buy additional F-16 fighters to compensate for increased wear and tear on the current fleet.
Production of next generation combat aircraft, such as the Joint Strike Fighter, Typhoon and Rafale could be accelerated.
To provide strategic mobility on future conflicts, both the USA and European air forces need to quickly address major shortfalls in airlift, say the report's authors.
The USAF, for example, needs to replace its existing C-5 and C-141 fleets with more modern C-17s, and Europe needs to ramp up its airlift capability either with the A400M Future Large Aircraft or a US air frame.
Demand
Surveillance and electronic warfare aircraft were heavily in demand and the US Navy's fleet of EA-6B Prowler jamming aircraft was "seriously overburdened".
It needs a minimum of 50 additional jamming aircraft, says the report. Europe also needs additional tanker aircraft.
"Precision guided weapons will demand ever more complete and accurate target intelligence," says the report, with unmanned aerial vehicles and ground surveillance radar systems in great demand.
To date the US government has announced spending $41 million to convert 95 nuclear armed Boeing air launched cruise missiles into conventionally armed weapons.
The Clinton administration has also said it wants Congress to authorise $430 million to equip hundreds of old model Tomahawk land attack missiles with satellite navigation systems.
The UK has announced it wants to replace 30 Tomahawks fired from Royal Navy submarines.
Source: Flight Daily News
