西班牙皇家海军延长AV-8B服役年限

http://www.defense-aerospace.com ... av_8bs-instead.html



摘要：

西班牙政府日前确保7000万欧元的资金，使海军现有AV-8B机队能配合胡安.卡洛斯一世号（Juan Carlos I）服役到2024~2025年左右。

2010年西班牙皇家海军打算购买15到20架F-35B，由于价格不断升高、无法负担而无限期延后（直到西班牙财政可以负担为只）。海军也曾想先购买少量F-35B，但由于资金短缺而被否决。目前F-35B一架不含引擎就要1.3亿欧元，一套引擎再加2800万欧元。

西班牙原有的亚斯都里亚亲王号（Principe de Asturias R11）提前裁撤之后，所属的AV-8B机队也面临裁减，其中四架在花费1100万欧元现代化之后仍因缺乏操作的经费而退出现役。

2010年英国裁撤所有Harrier GR.9机队之后，西班牙曾洽商购买这些机体与料件来维持自己的AV-8B，但最后没谈拢，稍后英国把所有馀下的七十几架Harrier机队与附件卖给美国海军陆战队来维持AV-8B机队，后者已经预料F-35B不能如期服役。为此，日后西班牙海军遭到抨击，失去未雨绸缪的机会。

注：胡安.卡洛斯一世以时任的西班牙国王为名，胡安.卡洛斯一世国王日前在6月2日宣布退位。


Adios F-35 Purchase: Spain Extends the Life of Its Harriers
       
         
(Source: ElConfidential; published May 28, 2014)

       
        (Issued in Spanish; unofficial edited translation by Defense-Aerospace.com)

One of the biggest concerns of the Spanish navy about its future -- the 'expiration' of the Harrier fighters and their complicated succession – has now been solved by a 70-million euro plan to extend their service life beyond 2025. Their intended replacement, the American F-35B, must wait "until it becomes financially accessible" for Spain.

Spain has secured the future of its naval air wing, after years of uncertainty about what vertical takeoff fighters it would operate after 2020.

After the loss of the aircraft carrier 'Principe de Asturias’ -- an ideal platform for STOVL fighters, but which has now been retired -- the Navy had begun a process of reducing its Harrier force. Four of them were 'retired' after having been modernized at a total cost of about 11 million euros (about 3 million euros each) as no economic resources were available to operate and support them.

However, the picture changed dramatically after the May 23 meeting of the Council of Ministers, when the government announced an extension of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Harrier’s lifecycle support, and which was to expire next December.

With an outlay of 70 million euros-spread over ten years, Spain has gained access to the equipment and spare parts necessary to ensure that its fleet of AV-8B Harrier Plus fighters continue flying beyond 2025.

The F-35: parked

Today, the only short/vertical takeoff aircraft that fits the requirements of the Spanish navy is the US-made F-35B Lightning, an aircraft that the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy, which, together with Spain, are the leading world-wide operators of the Harrier, have already written into their acquisition plans.

According to Spanish Navy sources consulted by El Confidential Online, the F-35B "continues to be an unattainable aspiration in economic terms." In 2010, the Navy headquarters announced that it intended to procure 15 to 20 of these aircraft. These plans have now been parked indefinitely.

However, according to the navy sources, the Navy command nonetheless managed to outline a financial plan that would have allowed it to buy a few F-35Bs, but it was finally shot down by the Defence staff because of its cost.

One of the options being considered for the future is that, once the US takes these STOVL aircraft into service, it could hand over a few of them to Spain until the Spanish economy improves enough to allows the purchase of an F-35B package of its own. Today, the cost of an F-35B would be approximately EUR 130 million each (and that price does not include the engine, which costs over $28 million each—Ed.)

Poor planning

Given the economic inaccessibility of the F-35B, whose costs increase as the program advances, the Navy has been criticized for what some call "poor planning" on the Harriers.

Some years ago, the UK retired its own fleet of Harriers, and these would have been an n "almost inexhaustible" source of equipment and spare parts that would have allowed the Spanish Harrier fleet to be maintained for over a decade. And, above all, at an "affordable price," critics say.

These critics say Spain negotiated with the United Kingdom to purchase some of the Harrier inventory, but the conditions stipulated by Spain were rejected by London, which eventually sold more than 70 Harrier aircraft and a full spare parts inventory to the main operator of the Harrier: the US Marine Corps, which "which had predicted well before that the F- 35B not arrive in time."


(EDITOR’S NOTE: Other Spanish media report that the Council of Ministers has authorized the defense ministry to extend the Memorandum of Understanding on the life-cycle support of the AV-8B Plus for another 10 years, until December 2024.

The US, UK, Italy and Spain are the MoU’s signatories, and it is managed by a Joint Program Office set up in 1990, when the four countries first began to explore the joint design, development and support of a radar-equipped Harrier variant.

The MoU’s extension has been made possible because the USMC plans to extend the service life of its own AV-8Bs to keep them in service until the F-35B is finally delivered.
Spain will pay a total of 70.3 million euros for the MoU’s extension period, or about $10 million per year.)
http://www.defense-aerospace.com ... av_8bs-instead.html



摘要：

西班牙政府日前确保7000万欧元的资金，使海军现有AV-8B机队能配合胡安.卡洛斯一世号（Juan Carlos I）服役到2024~2025年左右。

2010年西班牙皇家海军打算购买15到20架F-35B，由于价格不断升高、无法负担而无限期延后（直到西班牙财政可以负担为只）。海军也曾想先购买少量F-35B，但由于资金短缺而被否决。目前F-35B一架不含引擎就要1.3亿欧元，一套引擎再加2800万欧元。

西班牙原有的亚斯都里亚亲王号（Principe de Asturias R11）提前裁撤之后，所属的AV-8B机队也面临裁减，其中四架在花费1100万欧元现代化之后仍因缺乏操作的经费而退出现役。

2010年英国裁撤所有Harrier GR.9机队之后，西班牙曾洽商购买这些机体与料件来维持自己的AV-8B，但最后没谈拢，稍后英国把所有馀下的七十几架Harrier机队与附件卖给美国海军陆战队来维持AV-8B机队，后者已经预料F-35B不能如期服役。为此，日后西班牙海军遭到抨击，失去未雨绸缪的机会。

注：胡安.卡洛斯一世以时任的西班牙国王为名，胡安.卡洛斯一世国王日前在6月2日宣布退位。


Adios F-35 Purchase: Spain Extends the Life of Its Harriers
       
         
(Source: ElConfidential; published May 28, 2014)

       
        (Issued in Spanish; unofficial edited translation by Defense-Aerospace.com)

One of the biggest concerns of the Spanish navy about its future -- the 'expiration' of the Harrier fighters and their complicated succession – has now been solved by a 70-million euro plan to extend their service life beyond 2025. Their intended replacement, the American F-35B, must wait "until it becomes financially accessible" for Spain.

Spain has secured the future of its naval air wing, after years of uncertainty about what vertical takeoff fighters it would operate after 2020.

After the loss of the aircraft carrier 'Principe de Asturias’ -- an ideal platform for STOVL fighters, but which has now been retired -- the Navy had begun a process of reducing its Harrier force. Four of them were 'retired' after having been modernized at a total cost of about 11 million euros (about 3 million euros each) as no economic resources were available to operate and support them.

However, the picture changed dramatically after the May 23 meeting of the Council of Ministers, when the government announced an extension of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Harrier’s lifecycle support, and which was to expire next December.

With an outlay of 70 million euros-spread over ten years, Spain has gained access to the equipment and spare parts necessary to ensure that its fleet of AV-8B Harrier Plus fighters continue flying beyond 2025.

The F-35: parked

Today, the only short/vertical takeoff aircraft that fits the requirements of the Spanish navy is the US-made F-35B Lightning, an aircraft that the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy, which, together with Spain, are the leading world-wide operators of the Harrier, have already written into their acquisition plans.

According to Spanish Navy sources consulted by El Confidential Online, the F-35B "continues to be an unattainable aspiration in economic terms." In 2010, the Navy headquarters announced that it intended to procure 15 to 20 of these aircraft. These plans have now been parked indefinitely.

However, according to the navy sources, the Navy command nonetheless managed to outline a financial plan that would have allowed it to buy a few F-35Bs, but it was finally shot down by the Defence staff because of its cost.

One of the options being considered for the future is that, once the US takes these STOVL aircraft into service, it could hand over a few of them to Spain until the Spanish economy improves enough to allows the purchase of an F-35B package of its own. Today, the cost of an F-35B would be approximately EUR 130 million each (and that price does not include the engine, which costs over $28 million each—Ed.)

Poor planning

Given the economic inaccessibility of the F-35B, whose costs increase as the program advances, the Navy has been criticized for what some call "poor planning" on the Harriers.

Some years ago, the UK retired its own fleet of Harriers, and these would have been an n "almost inexhaustible" source of equipment and spare parts that would have allowed the Spanish Harrier fleet to be maintained for over a decade. And, above all, at an "affordable price," critics say.

These critics say Spain negotiated with the United Kingdom to purchase some of the Harrier inventory, but the conditions stipulated by Spain were rejected by London, which eventually sold more than 70 Harrier aircraft and a full spare parts inventory to the main operator of the Harrier: the US Marine Corps, which "which had predicted well before that the F- 35B not arrive in time."


(EDITOR’S NOTE: Other Spanish media report that the Council of Ministers has authorized the defense ministry to extend the Memorandum of Understanding on the life-cycle support of the AV-8B Plus for another 10 years, until December 2024.

The US, UK, Italy and Spain are the MoU’s signatories, and it is managed by a Joint Program Office set up in 1990, when the four countries first began to explore the joint design, development and support of a radar-equipped Harrier variant.

The MoU’s extension has been made possible because the USMC plans to extend the service life of its own AV-8Bs to keep them in service until the F-35B is finally delivered.
Spain will pay a total of 70.3 million euros for the MoU’s extension period, or about $10 million per year.)