Initially, there are only rumors from the Ministry of Defense and an article in a trade journal. But apparently officials at the Rossauer barracks are currently gathering information on the latest US fighter jet F-35.
As the “Krone” found out, the employees of the purchasing directorate in the BMLV are currently not only adjusting the Eurofighter as planned. Information about the American F-35 should also be collected at this time. Because, according to an up-to-date “Jane” report, a successor is slowly being sought for the 15 Eurofighters that form the active part of the airspace surveillance in Zeltweg. All this happened against the background of a huge budget increase for the Austrian armed forces in the course of the war in Ukraine.
2030s at the earliest
But one thing at a time: If the state-of-the-art 5th-generation stealth jets ever actually land in Austria, it will likely be in the mid-2030s. The Eurofighters purchased in 2007 are expected to last until at least 2035. By then they will have been modernized and, as reported, have night vision capabilities, new missiles and a better self-defense system. “This is also an absolute priority at the moment,” Colonel Michael Bauer explains in the “Krone” interview. The task now is to bring the Eurofighter to the desired level and to have it run until at least 2035. “It is not yet possible to say what will happen next. I only remember the long run times of our “Dragons” or the “Alouette III” helicopters.”
Many European fleets are switching
The F-35 – available in variants A (for the regular air force), B (with VTOL capability) and C (the aircraft carrier variant) – is the current export hit of the US defense industry. Scandinavian countries such as Norway and Finland are currently converting their fleets to F-35A aircraft, and Switzerland has also opted for the high-performance jet. It is a so-called “LO” platform – “low detectable”, commonly known as “Stealth” – that is difficult to detect by enemy radar. Even Germany recently ordered F-35s as part of “nuclear sharing”.
Quantity pushes price
“In the next decade,” explains aviation expert Georg Mader, “there will be nothing of the European aircraft industry for the next 30 to 40 years.” And certainly not for the notorious price of an F-35: because of the high production numbers, the aircraft must sooner or later come to about 65 million dollars per unit, making it relatively cheap to purchase, according to Mader.
Various new acquisitions
The next new addition to the Austrian Air Force is a successor to the transport aircraft “Hercules”, with the turboprop aircraft to be replaced by 2029.
Soon a stream of new helicopters will land in Langenlebarn and Aigen. 18 AW169s from Italy have been ordered as replacements for the Alouette III.
Source: Krone
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