Europe Expands Union Concept
To Military Aircraft Procurement

Next to the U.S., Europe is both the largest world customer for military aerospace equipment, and its biggest producer. Increasing emphasis is now becoming evident of collaborative development, procurement and manufacture, both within Europe and internationally. The continuing rationalization of European aerospace through new groupings is adding additional weight to its industries in partnerships for new and major international projects.

In the past decade, Britain has led the way in Europe's military aerospace procurement, with contracts for a dozen or more major aircraft and weapons programs totaling more than $35 billion. Apart from Eurofighter, U.S. industry participation has been a major factor in most of the funded new UK military aircraft programs. Missiles have proved a more fruitful source of European collaboration, for which several new UK aerospace programs still awaiting funding also offer more scope. Current major European military aerospace programs include the following:

• Eurofighter, as the largest European defense procurement program, currently involves 620 aircraft, with another 90 options, for Britain (232), Germany (180), Italy (121) and Spain (87). Initial contracts for DM14 billion (now $6.3 billion) have so far been placed for 148 Tranche 1 Eurofighters, for initial (RAF) service in June 2002. Vigorous export marketing by Eurofighter International is also well advanced in such countries as South Korea, Norway and Australia.
• Equally significant in Europe is the potential $20 billion, seven-nation program for 225 A400Ms, for which Turboprop International's new TP400 was selected in November as the engine. Initial A400M commitments comprise Belgium (7), France (50), Germany (73), Italy (16), Luxembourg (1), Spain (27), Turkey (26, but since budget-cut to 20), and Britain (25). Portugal has rejoined to order four A400Ms, increasing original launch orders to 229 aircraft, for deliveries from mid/late-2007.
• From one of Europe's earliest multi-national helicopter projects, Agusta Westland EH101 deliveries and operations are now well advanced of 44 RN Merlin HM.1 ASW and 22 RAF HC.3 transport versions, from 98 orders to date. Five Canadian SAR Cormorant versions from 15 on order have also been completed in Italy, and the tri-turboshaft EH101 is well-placed to meet Canada's $1.82 billion requirement for 28 Sea King replacements, for which it was once selected. EH Industries is competing in the Nordic helicopter program, and is also bidding for Irish and Portuguese requirements.Further EH101 UK prospects are presented by the MoD's Future Organic Airborne Early-Warning (FOAEW) program, to supplement new RN AgustaWestland Sea King AEW.
• 7 helicopters on Britain's two new CVF carriers from 2012, among possible tiltrotor and fixed-wing alternatives. Another sales target is the MoD's emerging $7 billion Support Amphibious Battlefield Rotorcraft (SABR) requirement, for 50 or more 32-seat support and SAR helicopters, to replace RN/RAF Sea Kings, Commandos and RAF Pumas, from about 2008.
• Late 1996 requirements continue for 427 Franco-German Eurocopter Tiger advanced fly-by-wire attack helicopters, despite several years' delays from budget cuts. From 212 German and 215 French (115 HAP escort support and 100 HAC anti-tank) versions, initial June 1999 production orders involved only 80 multi-role/combat support UHT Tigers for Germany, plus 70 similar HAPs and 10 anti-tank HACs for France. Contracts followed for 320 MTR390 turboshafts, for twin installation on production lines at Donauwoerth and Marignane. German deliveries start in late 2002, while France's first HAPs will arrive in 2003, and HACs by 2011, from quoted $6.5 billion commitments. Eurocopter is actively seeking world-wide exports with its hybrid multi-role Tiger HCP.
• Budget cuts have also delayed NATO's multi-national NH-90 transport/ASW/SAR helicopter program, for which France, Germany, Italy and Netherlands signed a 6.6 billion euro ($5.82 billion) initial production contract last June. From original requirements for 726 NH-90s, since reduced to 595 (464 TTH tactical transport versions, and 131 navalized NFHs), French-based NH Industries, formed jointly by Eurocopter France and Deutschland, Agusta and Stork/Fokker Aviation, received funding for 244 NH-90s and 55 options, for delivery from 2003. These comprise 27 French NFH-90s; 80 German TTHs and 54 options; 60 Italian TTHs, 46 NFHs and one TTH option; and 20 Dutch NFHs. All except Italy's, which have Fiat/Avio GE's T700 engines, will fly with twin Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322-01/9 turboshafts. Meanwhile Portugal may reportedly sign an MoU at the Paris air show to join the NH-90 program as an industrial partner, with a requirement expressed late last year for 10 of these multi-role helicopters.
• Competing with the EH101, Eurocopter's new Cougar Mk 2+, and Sikorsky S-92, NH-90 is pace-setter for the Nordic Standard Helicopter Program (NSHP) requirement for 73 or more ship- or shore-based transport, ASW and SAR helicopters. Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden signed an NSHP MoU in 1999 for joint procurement of 14, 20, 14 and 25 helicopters, respectively. Needing only smaller frigate-based helicopters, however, Norway recently withdrew from the program, for which 100% offset contract returns are being sought. Originally scheduled in April, selection is now expected later this year, for late 2003 initial service.
• Further advance in NATO's Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) program resulted in February, from formation of the five-nation SOSTAR GmbH European company, headed by EADS and Thales, with Indra and Fokker Space, to develop a new airborne battlefield reconnaissance system. Launched in 1993, AGS seeks a NATO equivalent to the U.S. Boeing 707-based Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS). Up to six JSTAR-interoperable aircraft and 24 ground stations are envisaged, costing $2 billion, for service from 2006.
• The European Stand-Off Surveillance & Target Acquisition Radar (SOSTAR) group originated in May 1999, to oppose the NATO Transatlantic Advanced Radar (NATAR) consortium. Led by Northrop Grumman and Raytheon, with support from Belgium, Canada, Denmark and Norway, NATAR proposes to install JSTARS' Radar Technology Insertion Program (RTIP) upgrade in a European aircraft such as the Airbus A321. EADS and Thales plan to equip a Fokker 100 with SOSTAR-X active-array electronic-scanning radar, for an 85 million euros ($75 million) demonstrator and test program. Thales and DERA are also working together on an associated UK MoD contract for a Tornado-mounted synthetic aperture/MTI surveillance radar pod.
• EADS and Thales, with BAE Systems, are further linked in the tri-national Airborne Multi-role Solid State Active Array Radar (ASAR) program, for joint development of next-generation active electronically-scanned array (AESA) fire-control radar. This could upgrade the radars in both the Eurofighter and Dassault Rafale, although the latter already incorporates passive electronic-scanning in its Thomson-CSF-developed RBE2. Typhoon's Captor radar, however, uses earlier mechanical scanning technology.
• Studies funded with BAE for the MoD's Future Offensive Air System (FOAS) program, for Tornado replacement from about 2017, linked with Australia's parallel Air 6000 requirement, are further associated with long-term research work by BAE Systems with Dassault on future combat aircraft/UAV/stealth technologies. This is now being expanded to include Germany, Italy, Sweden and Spain, through the embryo European Technology Acquisition Program.
• Further European industry amalgamations could leave EADS with a choice of developing and marketing Aermacchi's Yak/AEM-130-based M-346 or former DASA's Mako transonic light fighter/advanced trainer projects, for Eurotrainer and other potential requirements for 2,500 aircraft between 2005 and 2025. Flight tests are well advanced of the Yak/AEM-130, but Mako is backed by the UAE, and has considerable support from European and U.S. aerospace industry suppliers.