Long-standing plans to unify multinational European military
air training progressed last December from a one-year ¤8
million ($9 million) Eurotraining feasibility study (EFS) agreement.
Acting for a consortium of five leading European aerospace companies,
Aermacchi, as a principal military trainer manufacturer, signed
the EFS contract with Italy's General Directorate for Aeronautical
Armaments. The DGAA was appointed executive agency for the air
forces of Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
The pre-definition feasibility study will define possible solutions
and life-cycle costs for an integrated Eurotraining system, for
operation by 2010. It will cover all aspects of advanced jet-pilot
training, based on new Eurotrainer aircraft, ground-based systems,
training schedules, infrastructure and location.
Contract signature was preceded by an industrial launch hosted
by Dassault in Paris last November, attended by over 60 specialists
from participating companies. Several are already involved in
the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) program, in which European
industry has been represented from its start. Other European military
operators are interested in NFTC training, but many smaller air
forces cannot afford the costs involved. NFTC's success has therefore
increased pressure in Europe to establish similar facilities through
the multinational Eurotraining project.
This evolved from the 1996 annual Conference of the Chiefs of
European Air Staffs committee (EURAC), comprising senior officials
from 17 mostly NATO air forces, but also including Austria, Finland,
Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland. Following acceptance of these
concepts, the member air forces formed an Advanced European Jet
Pilots Training Working Group (AEJPT WG).
With EURAC, the AEJPT WG further invited national industries in
1997 to participate in Eurotrainer proposals through a European
Industry Working Group formed by Aermacchi, BAE Systems, EADS,
Dassault, and SAAB. BAE has since withdrawn, however, to focus
on the UK's new and more urgent £12.5 billion ($20 billion)
private-finance Military Flight Training System program. For this,
BAE is proposing replacement of RAF Hawks by 31-45 new Hawk Mk
128 advanced trainers, for initial 2007 service, and is also discussing
buying-out NFTC from Bombardier. Apart from Aermacchi, acquired
in late 2002 by Finmeccanica, the revised Eurotrainer G-5 industrial
consortium now includes Dassault Aviation, EADS CASA, EADS Deutschland,
and SAAB.
As the system core, the proposed Eurotrainer aircraft will feature
unrivalled system and mission capabilities. Establishment of a
single European training center, with standardized procedures
and equipment, plus ground-based training systems and admission
of non-consortium students, is also considered essential to widen
available markets and reduce instructional costs.
A potential conflict of interests exists between two of the Eurotraining
industrial partners, from competitive development of next-generation
Yak/AEM-130-derived Aermacchi M-346 and EADS Mako-AT high-performance
advanced trainers/light combat aircraft. Both are designed to
meet the 2010 Eurotrainer in-service requirements, with full glass
cockpit installations, but different levels of role capabilities
and cost. Also still to resolved is exactly where in Europe the
required airspace and climatic conditions suitable for a large
military flying training center are likely to be found. Finland,
with 42 BAe Hawks, some in excess of requirements, has already
offered its Kauhava flight academy as an interim solution.
