NORWAY AND THE Netherlands are waiting to find out whether Matra will offer the Mica medium-range air-to-air missile to meet the countries' requirements for a beyond-visual-range weapon to arm updated Lockheed Martin F-16s.
Senior air-force officials from the two countries have expressed doubts that the French missile manufacturer will bid, leaving the US AIM-120 AMRAAM as the only contender. They were speaking at the 11 May roll out of the first mid-life update (MLU) F-16 at Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems in Fort Worth, Texas.
Matra is believed to be concerned at the cost of integrating and qualifying the Mica on the F-16 and at the countries' demands for 100% offset. Maj. Gen. Ivar Ueland, commander of the Royal Norwegian Air Force Materiel command, and Maj. Gen. Douwe Altena, his counterpart in the Royal Netherlands Air Force, make it clear that neither is prepared to pay for Mica integration.
Ueland says that Norway had hoped to announce an order for AMRAAMs at the roll out, but a selection has not been made and offset negotiations with rival manufacturers Hughes and Raytheon continue. A decision is expected by September.
Of the four European nations planning to update 301 F-16A/Bs under the MLU programme, only Denmark has ordered AMRAAMs. Belgium asked Lockheed Martin and Matra to study Mica-integration feasibility, but has yet to seek bids.
The first of five MLU trial-verification-installation aircraft, a US Air Force F-16A, was flown for the first time on 28 April.
Source: Flight International
