Since the end of the Cold War, some officials complain that Germany's defence budget has been used as a "gold mine" for other state financial needs.
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH
BETWEEN 1991 AND 1994 Germany's defence budget shrank from DM54 billion ($36 billion) to DM 47 billion, from which the entire Federal armed forces had to be restructured. For the air force, this meant the incorporation of the former East German air force, with its Soviet-supplied aircraft, most of which were immediately retired. It also meant reducing personnel, from 130,000 in 1990, to 83,000. The target today is a further cut, to 77,300 personnel.
Up to 1990, defence accounted for 20% of the overall budget. Today it takes 7-10%, according to the German Ministry of Defence.
The DM47.9 billion 1996 budget is already strained. It contains only DM90 million for United Nations operations, whereas the actual cost of Germany's role in the former Yugoslavia this year comes to about DM700 million. Despite earlier assurances that defence money would not be reined back any further, the ministry is now facing a possible further cut in the 1996 budget of up to DM2 billion, threatening some key procurement programmes. Some programmes - such as the Future Transport Aircraft (better known as the European Future Large Aircraft (FLA)), the Eurocopter NH90 helicopter, and the Helios 2 intelligence-satellite programme - look particularly vulnerable.
One unlikely to be affected, because of its political sensitivity, is the Eurofighter EF2000. According to German air force Chief of Staff Lt Gen Bernard Mende, the aircraft will form the backbone of Germany's air-defence capability after its procurement, beginning in 2002.
The first 140 aircraft, to be in service by 2012, will take over the interceptor role from the air force's 152 venerable McDonnell Douglas F-4F Phantoms. Tough negotiations with the other Eurofighter partner countries, to maintain Germany's 30% industrial workshare in the programme, have led to an additional 40 aircraft being tacked on to the initial batch between 2012 and 2015, albeit in a ground-attack role.
"In that timeframe, the first part of the Tornado fleet will reach [the end of] its operational lifetime," says Mende. "In future, we will need a heavy air-to-ground capability, but we will also need . . . a [lighter] aircraft, not built for extremely low altitude, but able to use stand-off weaponry and precision-guided munitions."
The aircraft which could succeed Germany's fleet of 238 Tornados in the heavy-strike role will have to be examined again in "five to ten years", says Mende.
Within weeks of persuading parliament to agree in January this year to the additional 40 aircraft, it became apparent that a further purchase of EF2000s is being considered tentatively. Although the issue has been kept quiet in public, sources in Bonn confirm that discussions have taken place about an additional 15-20 aircraft, for training and manned reconnaissance.
The discussions are connected with air force proposals to centralise Eurofighter training at the US Air Force's Holloman AFB, New Mexico. Seven F-4Es are stationed there, with 40 Northrop T-38A Talons and 34 Cessna T-37Bs for basic jet-training at Sheppard AFB, Texas.
CROSSING THE ATLANTIC
Germany is now implementing a two-stage plan to move Tornado training across the Atlantic. From mid-year, 12 Tornados will be stationed at Holloman for advanced weapons training. These will later be followed by a second batch of aircraft in 1999, when the Trinational Tornado Training Establishment at RAF Cottesmore in the UK is due to close down.
The second batch will come from Fighter-Bomber Wing 38, consisting of two squadrons based at Jever. One squadron will remain behind, to acclimatise US-trained pilots to European flying conditions. This role is now fulfilled by the German air force's last remaining unit of 35 Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jets, based at Furstenfeldbruck and due for retirement. German Tornados are being upgraded with new software, onboard computer and weapons and reconnaissance capabilities.
An eight-megabyte computer is to replace the older 256-kilobyte machine in upgraded aircraft, which will be programmed with Ada software, replacing the older assembler code. In addition to the standard 1553B databus, the upgraded aircraft will also have a 1760 databus, handling mainly weapons data and offering improved weapons capability and electromagnetic compatibility. Mende hopes that the work will be completed by 1998.
A new reconnaissance pod, under development by Daimler-Benz Aerospace (DASA), will allow Tornados to take over fully the duties of the air force's retired RF-4Es. For now, reconnaissance duties are left to two Tornado squadrons based at the former naval air base in Schleswig, equipped with ex-German navy and Italian air force pods produced by MBB.
The new pod is to have a day/night sensor package, with two optical cameras and an infra-red line scanner; a reconnaissance-management unit, with real-time display capability in the rear cockpit; a data-storage system; built-in test equipment; and an autonomous environmental-control system. The air force wants to procure 40 pods between 1998 and 2000.
The service has decided that it will procure the Israeli Rafael Litening laser-designator pod upgrade. Software is to be incorporated into the computer upgrade, although an order has not yet been placed because of caution over Rafael's promised development timescales.
"Procurement will come in 1996 or 1997, if the Israelis show us results," says the German chief of staff. Germany wants 20 laser-designator pods, to be delivered in 1998. Logistics, repair and maintenance will be handled by German optics specialist Carl Zeiss.
The air force has run an upgrade programme since 1992 for 110 F-4Fs. The F-4F ICE (improved combat effectiveness), is being done by DASA, and include fitting a Hughes APG-65 radar and giving the aircraft the capability to carry up to four AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles. The upgraded aircraft have a look-down/shoot-down capability against multiple targets.
The air force's air-defence capability is supplemented by 20 Mikoyan MiG-29A Fulcrum interceptors, with four MiG-29UB trainers. These aircraft are being maintained and upgraded by MiG Aircraft Production Support (MAPS), a joint DASA/ MAPO-MiG venture.
MAPS is embarking on a programme to increase time between overhauls (TBO) from 800 to 1,100 flying hours. DASA's engine subsidiary, MTU, is also to carry out work extending the engine TBO to 700h, and operational life from 900h to 1,600h. MAPS is also offering an avionics- and navigation-system upgrade, which could include the installation of a new TACAN navigation suite, identification-friend-or-foe unit, UHF/VHF radio and a Rockwell-Collins global-positioning-system unit.
TRANSPORT REQUIREMENT
The central issue concerning the air force's transport requirement is the replacement for its fleet of 85 ageing Transall C.160s. These are being refurbished up to 1999, to allow them to remain in use until 2010, but are to be replaced by a fleet of 75 FLAs from 2008 to 2016.
Mende is confident that the FLA programme will go ahead, despite doubts about the commitment of France, which has not dedicated any money to it in its 1996 budget. The pre-development phase, led by France, Germany, Italy and Spain, was to begin this year and is included in the German budget, to the tune of DM260 million. Germany has also budgeted a total DM4.3 billion for the programme up to 2009.
The MoD says that it is confused by France's position, as French defence minister Charles Millon has said that France still has a need for 60 aircraft up to 2015. French industry and the Government have been working since February to find alternative sources of funding, in the hope of getting the programme back on track. The pre-development phase was due to last until 1999, when a procurement decision was expected for a total of about 300 aircraft for the participating nations.
Also far from certain is the future of the NH90 helicopter, needed to replace 104 Bell UH-1D Iroquois. The air force is planning to procure 114 NH90s for the transport/search-and-rescue role from 2005. The German navy is also still planning for 38 maritime MH90 variants, which it wants to be delivered from 2004, while the army is also planning for 120 helicopters in the tactical-transport version.
Questions have been raised, however, about possible cuts in French helicopter procurement, affecting both the NH90 and the Eurocopter Tiger battlefield helicopter. Bonn sources say that France is considering a cut, from 150 NH90s to 50, and from 210 Tigers to 90. Such cuts would inflate the unit price of both helicopters, placing further strain on Germany's overloaded budget.
The naval MH 90 - the most expensive version - is in the least secure position. Discussions have been held in Germany in the past on fitting an off-the-shelf mission system to a regular NH90, to produce a cheaper version.
More certain are the air force's planned upgrades to its VIP transport capabilities. It is buying four more Airbus A310s, to replace its older Boeing 707-320s in the transport/cargo role, and is pushing for the procurement of Canadair Challenger 601s and Eurocopter AS332 Super Pumas in the VIP role.
The A310s will come from Lufthansa, with the first two being handed over for modification at the end of this year and the last two following in 1997. The air force hopes that the upgrade will save it DM30 million a year in maintenance and operating costs.
So far, the Challenger purchase has not been approved by parliament, while only three out of the seven VIP Super Pumas which the air force wants have been cleared. The service remains optimistic, however.
"I am more than hopeful that the major projects of the air force are in a good way. I also feel that the Luftwaffe [German air force] will be able to meet the requirements our minister sees for us," says Mende.
Source: Flight International
