THE UK AND FRANCE are negotiating a memorandum of understanding (MoU) covering development of a new strike aircraft to replace the Royal Air Force's Panavia Tornado GR4 and French air force's Dassault Mirage 2000D/E strike aircraft.
The countries have been working at an industry level on several discrete technology-demonstrator programmes, intended for a future offensive aircraft (FOA).
The MoU, however, will place the projects within the framework of a collaborative bilateral effort.
Roger Freeman, the UK Minister of State for Defence Procurement, speaking during a parliamentary debate on the RAF, said, "Preliminary studies to define the relevant technologies are in hand, on a cooperative basis with France and a MoU is being drawn up, that will allow this work to be carried forward."
The moves to consolidate the collaboration with France signal doubt within the RAF as to whether the Pentagon's Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) project will fully meet Staff Target (Air) 425 for a Panavia Tornado GR4 replacement.
The UK has signed a statement of intent with the USA to participate in the JAST programme, with a MoU also being negotiated. The project is viewed as a successor to the Royal Navy's Sea Harrier F/A2 by around 2007.
Freeman says: "It is also possible that one of the variants from the US programme could satisfy the requirements of the RAF for a Tornado GR4 replacement."
Sources close to the programmes, however, have expressed doubt, as to whether the single-seat/single engine JAST, will meet the payload/range performance, which the RAF wants for its FOA.
Germany could join the UK and France on the project. Daimler-Benz Aerospace will join the GEC-Marconi/Thomson-CSF future-radar programme for the FOA this year.
Source: Flight International
