"Packed" to buy the entire fleet, Indonesia fancy "Typhoon" fighter jets
Our reporter Zhang Qiang
The "Typhoon" fighter uses the EJ200 turbofan engine with a thrust-to-weight ratio of 10. Combined with a good aerodynamic layout, it has good maneuverability, supersonic cruise, and can mount air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons of European and American countries.
Indonesia (hereinafter referred to as Indonesia) recently stated that it plans to purchase Austria’s entire Typhoon fighter fleet. Currently, Indonesia has sought to start negotiations on the purchase of the entire Typhoon fighter fleet of the Austrian Air Force. The Indonesian "Jakarta Post" even reported that Indonesia and Austria have reached a preliminary intent on the transfer of the "typhoon".
For various reasons, Austria has decided to retire the Typhoon fighter jets this year and use a "more effective and cost-effective" solution to meet the air defense needs of this Central European country. And Indonesia has been looking for a new type of fighter.
So, why does Austria retire all "Typhoon" fighter jets? What is the performance of the "Typhoon" fighter jet? Is it worthwhile for Indonesia to buy these "Typhoon" fighter jets? In response to these issues, a reporter from Science and Technology Daily interviewed relevant experts.
Good performance but low intact rate
The "Typhoon" fighter is a dual-engine, delta-wing, canard-type, high-maneuverability, multi-purpose four-and-a-half-generation fighter that was developed by Eurofighter Corporation in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The European four-generation semi-fighters of the same period include the French Rafale fighter and the Swedish JAS-39 Gripen fighter.
"From the point of view of its design parameters, the performance of the'Typhoon' is quite good. The thrust-to-weight ratio of the EJ200 turbofan engine used by it has reached 10. Combined with a good aerodynamic layout, it has good maneuverability and can perform supersonic cruise. The load capacity is very strong. There are 13 plug-in points and the maximum plug-in capacity is 7.5 tons. It can mount the main air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons of European and American countries, such as AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles,'Meteor' medium-range air-to-air missiles, and Paveway 'Laser guided bombs, etc.' Wen Chang introduced. The actual combat performance of this aircraft is also quite good. In 2011, the British used Typhoon fighter jets during air raids on Libya. At that time, the "Typhoon" fighter jet took off from an air base in the British mainland, and after several aerial refueling on the way, it rushed to Libya for a long distance and dropped a guided bomb. This battle case was a sensation at the time. Prior to this, some countries had disputes over whether to develop bombers and what kind of bombers to develop. Some experts believe that using fighter jets with tankers and early warning aircraft can also perform strategic strike missions. The "typhoon" struck Libya for a long distance to verify such a statement.
Public information shows that in 2018, the "Typhoon" fighter jet was in service for the 15th anniversary, and related information showed that 549 aircraft have been delivered and 500,000 hours of flight.
In this regard, Wenchang pointed out that after simple calculations, the average flight time of each "Typhoon" fighter aircraft is only more than 60 hours per year. Compared with similar fighters, this data is not outstanding. You know, the standard average annual flying time of US fighter jets can reach 250 hours or even 300 hours. Therefore, this report card can even be said to be a bit embarrassing. This reflects the relatively insufficient flight time of the "Typhoon" fighter jets and the corresponding shortage of pilot training time. In 2018, it was reported that only 8 of the 128 Typhoon fighters currently in service in the Luftwaffe could take off at any time. Regardless of whether the message data is true or not, it at least reflects that the Typhoon fighter has a higher failure rate and a lower intact rate.
"Therefore, as a whole, this is a good aircraft, but some problems exposed in the course of use have led to its low combat effectiveness." Wenchang said.
Austrian will seek "more effective and cost-effective" solutions
In July 2007, Eurofighter delivered the first Typhoon fighter jet to Austria. Only 4 years later, the British media reported on July 6, 2011 that the first of the 15 Austrian Typhoon fighter jets will return to service after the upgrade. In other words, these "Typhoon" fighter jets in Austria have only been in service for 13 years, and an upgrade was carried out in the middle. So, why does Austria retire these "Typhoon" fighter jets at this time?
Wen Chang said: “It must be admitted that Austria’s retirement of these Typhoon fighter jets is indeed a bit early. There are several reasons: First, Austria believes that these Typhoon fighter jets are not cheap. Although their initial prices are lower, they will be delivered later. In the process, the price continued to increase, so that Austria had to reduce the original 18 aircraft order plan to 15; second, in the process of use, its intact rate was too low, the failure rate was high, and the combat effectiveness was not high. And the more modern it is The more expensive the maintenance cost of the aircraft, which is unbearable for Austria. In other words, Austria is about to "cannot afford" these aircraft; third, there are data showing that the "Typhoon" fighter aircraft obtained by Austria is a reduced version, electronic The equipment is of low grade. Although the information is not necessarily accurate, it at least reflects the performance gap between the "Typhoon" fighter that Austria believes it has acquired and the performance advertised by the manufacturer."
Austrian media have reported that over the years, due to Eurofighter's continuous delays in delivery time and increasing purchase costs, the Typhoon fighter jets obtained by Austria also have defects and high maintenance prices. Therefore, the Austrian military believes that since 2002, Airbus and Eurofighter have deceived the Austrian government in terms of fighter sales prices and delivery capabilities. Austria has filed a lawsuit in this regard.
For these reasons, Austria has decided to retire this fighter jet this year to meet its air defense needs with a "more effective and cost-effective" solution. In this regard, Wenchang believes that "more effective and cost-effective" can actually be understood as higher cost-effectiveness and higher combat effectiveness, and you cannot spend wronged money.
"At present, the F-16 fighter jet may be a better alternative. The aircraft equipped by NATO countries mainly include US-made F-16 fighter jets, F-35 fighter jets, and three self-developed fourth-generation fighter jets in Europe. From the price Look, both the Gripen and F-35 fighters are not cheap, and the later maintenance costs are also high. Moreover, as a European landlocked country, Austria faces less strategic pressure. Does it need such a "advanced" fighter? Demonstration is needed. Therefore, buying a pragmatic aircraft that is both affordable and affordable is the first choice. At present, the latest improved F-16 fighter model can also reach the fourth and a half generation standard. In terms of performance and price On balance, F-16 is likely to become an alternative to Austria’s “typhoon”.” Wenchang said.
Indonesia's choice of "typhoon" may not be cost-effective
The "Typhoon" fighter was actually not Indonesia's first choice. Indonesia had considered purchasing Su-35 fighters, but ultimately could not complete the purchase plan.
"The main reason for Indonesia's abandonment of Russia's Su-35 fighter jets is the US sanctions. In fact, since Indonesia and Russia negotiated to introduce the Su-35 fighter jets, the United States has been putting pressure on Indonesia. In particular, the United States has introduced in recent years. The "Counter-U.S. Enemy Act with Sanctions" has forced Indonesia to consider its consequences and ultimately abandoned its procurement plan." Wenchang said.
Compared with "Typhoon", Su-35 fighter is more suitable for Indonesia. Because the Indonesian Air Force has been equipped with Russian Su-27 and Su-30 aircraft, the introduction of Su-35 is a very advantageous choice in terms of use, repair, and maintenance. Moreover, from the performance point of view, the Su-35 is a heavy fighter, while the "Typhoon" fighter is a medium-sized fighter. It is generally considered that the heavy fighter has higher combat effectiveness. From the perspective of the development era, the "Typhoon" fighter jet belongs to the level of the 1990s, while the Su-35 is a product of the 21st century. The design concept of the Su-35 should be more advanced. For example, the Su-35 is passive. Phased array radar, "Typhoon" uses pulse Doppler radar, the performance difference is quite obvious. At the same time, the Su-35's mobility is obvious to all, better than the "Typhoon" fighter.
"The most important thing is that if Indonesia purchases Austrian Typhoon fighter jets, it may carry a heavy burden. Although some Austrian Typhoon fighter jets have undergone partial upgrades, many major components have not been upgraded. For example. According to the service life, is its engine almost ready for overhaul? If Indonesia buys these Typhoon fighter jets at this time, the maintenance cost will have to be considered. And the Typhoon fighter jet will soon start an upgrade plan. The upgrade will enable the'Typhoon' fighter jets to'see' farther, calculate faster, have a lighter burden on the pilots, and have a stronger strike capability. So when buying these second-hand'Typhoons', should they be updated accordingly? This is also Indonesia Issues that have to be considered.” Wenchang said, therefore, from a performance or economic point of view, this choice in Indonesia cannot be said to be very profitable.