US DEFENCE secretary William Cohen has moved to defuse a row over a letter, apparently favouring the Lockheed Martin F-16, sent by a US embassy official in Prague to the Czech defence ministry. The F-16 is being offered in competition with the McDonnell Douglas F-18 for a Czech air force fighter requirement.
The letter, from a US Air Force colonel heading the embassy's Office of Defense Co-operation, set out the comparative lease costs for seven F-16A/Bs or seven F-18A/Bs. Controversially, the letter promoted the F-16 as the lower-cost option, based on the lease price and life remaining on the aircraft offered to the Czechs.
While the USAF handles foreign-military sales of the F-16, and those of the F-18 are handled by the US Navy, US officials are required to remain neutral, leaving it to the manufacturers to lobby for their respective fighters. Cohen admits that the letter made comparisons "-that we would not normally approve". The US ambassador has met the Czech defence minister "-to ensure that he understands that the letter intended no bias", says Cohen.
According to the letter, leasing seven F-16A/Bs, each with 1,000h remaining, will cost $108 million, rising to $243 million if the aircraft receive structural and avionics upgrades. The lease of seven F-18A/Bs, each with up to 1,500h remaining, is set at $172 million.
Source: Flight International
