RNLAF: Reduction to 42 F-16s – Airbase Leeuwarden Closed (edited for style)
(Source: JSFnieuws.nl; issued May 29, 2012)
http://www.jsfnieuws.nl/
STIENS (FRL) --- The plans are ready: the Royal Netherlands Air Force is being reduced to only 42 F-16 fighter jets and the Main Operating Base Leeuwarden will soon lose its F-16 squadrons. The independent Dutch website JSFNieuws.nl on May 29 released a confidential plan that the government planned to keep secret until after the elections due in September 2012.
The plan is of course “confidential” and distributed in a very small circle of trusted people and politicians. Publicity surrounding the plan would be subject to very precise timing, because the intention was to keep it strictly silent until after the forthcoming elections.
Selected scenario: down to 42 F-16
In late 2011 new financial data about the price, operating and support costs, and concurrency modification costs was made available to the Dutch government by the United States. Initially, the data was reviewed by the Project Team Replacement F-16 (PV F-16) and, subsequently, at a higher level. It quickly became apparent that Dutch aviation planning assumptions had to be recalculated in light of the new data.
The PV F-16 team was tasked with the preparation of various scenarios, with two Main Operating Bases (MOB), at Volkel and Leeuwarden; with 1 MOB (either Volkel or Leeuwarden), or 1 MOB with a reserve base.
All kinds of data was involved, such as numbers, flight hours, training scenarios, collaboration, numbers of people, basic maintenance, re-use of airbase area, noise and environmental effects, etc.
The final scenario with the most potential for savings within given optimal operational capabilities and financial parameters:
- Reduction of the number of fighter aircraft F-16 from 68 to 42
- Closing of 1 airbase, near Leeuwarden,
- Realization between 2014 and 2016
Cause: the arrival of the F-35
It is remarkable that the arrival of the F-35, which should have ensured the future of the Royal Netherlands Air Force for the coming decades, is being put forward as the main reason for this huge reduction:
“Calculations show that, due to the budget of € 4.5 billion for replacement of the F-16s, the RNLAF only has sufficient funds to procure 42 F-35A fighter aircraft.”
The MOD paper also states that,for this reason it is better and cheaper to anticipate the reduction of the size of the RNLAF by reducing, as soon as possible, the number of F-16s in service to 42. This would reduce the requirement to a single air base, allowing one main operating base to be closed down with significant savings.
Other quote: “The replacement of the F-16 is a major financial risk for the Defense budget if we would select the Lockheed F-35A, not only because of rising investment costs but also because of high operating costs.”
However, the MoD’s document states that “It is clear: because of the investments already made, it is notan option to abandon the JSF. Cancellation has not even been considered in the current calculations”.
Keeping quiet until after election
Why should this remain silent? And why all who were involved in making these plans and others, politically-involved persons, were told to keep these plans confidential?
Clearly, there are two reasons: firstly, the total dismantling of the Royal Netherlands Air Force will meet huge resistance among the voters of the conservative-liberal VVD and conservative-christian party CDA.
But, because it also appears from the documents that the main cause of the dismantling is the high price and unaffordability of the F-35s, this will cause debate.
A confrontation of the failure of the F-35 project is not welcome for the ruling and responsible parties VVD and CDA in the coming election period. They don’t like having too much focus on the JSF and replacement of the F-16 in the run-up to the election, during election debates and (inevitably) in the subsequent coalition talks. Therefore bad news had to be kept under the proverbial hat.
Now that the plan has been leaked and published, the political elite will first try to get away with claiming that this is only speculation by JSFNieuws, with no foundation in fact, or that it is “just a calculation,” while the Ministry of Defence will reiterate its habitual statements that the decision to buy the F-35 “falls in next cabinet period,”and will be taken by the next government.
However, the facts - on paper - tell a different story. And the top-level persons involved in the policies for the VVD and CDA parties are aware of the various necessary trade-offs that will be required for the replacement of the F-16s.
Increasingly clear since 2005 …….
It has long been clear, within the top echelons of the Dutch MoD, that it is impossible, withthe current budget earmarked for replacement of the F-16, to purchase the
85 F-35A JSF Lightning II aircraft as originally planned.
This was already clear in 2005, documents show, and it has been published as early as 2009 by JSFNieuws.
On 22 August 2005, the outgoing US ambassador (Sobel) to the Netherlands wrote his opinion of the Netherlands, some important aspects of Dutch policy, and how to the US should deal with it. His message read:
“Their desire to maximize the military’s capabilities and their preference for US equipment, even when alternative European suppliers exist, make the Dutch strong supporters of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. (…) Dick Berlijn is pushing to lock in an early commitment for 50 planes (out of a total of 85) to prevent JSF from becoming an issue in the 2007 elections.”
By splitting the purchase in a first batch of 50 aircraft, followed by a hypothetical second batch, the idea was to push into the future the painful realization that the Netherlands could only afford a much smaller number of fighter aircraft.
With the repeated delays and price increases over the last couple of years, it became clear that even a number of around 60 aircraft would be impossible and unaffordable. The real outcome is known at this moment: 42 F-35A’s or less.
Thanks
JSFNieuws is able to publish thisinformation thanks to someone who has taken the responsibility to make public documents that were being kept secret siply to avoid political embarrassment.
Since 2008 our website has been able to publish several report, based on data from various countries, which was kept hidden for political reasons.
Fortunately there are people who are prepared to help us in making public the reality behind political manipulation, and to expose it to the outside world. Most of time, these dedicated citizens only act after much doubt, and risk their jobs, and then only because they are not heard or ignored internally. We encourage people in other countries to do the same.
-ends-
http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articl ... -f_35.html
Porque, para mim, que so' da' uma olhada de vez em quando, parece incoerente: fala em cortar custos e prazos e troca para o modelo mais enrolado...
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E viva a paz. Faca amor, nao faca a guerra... ![[089]](./images/smilies/089.gif){kind=small}
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