From: GLEN SEGELL <UDRJ004@OAK.CC.KCL.AC.UK>
Subject: European Fighter Aircraft (EFA)
Organization: NCR Corporation - Law Department
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 20:30:05 GMT


From GLEN SEGELL <UDRJ004@OAK.CC.KCL.AC.UK>




From GLEN SEGELL <UDRJ004@OAK.CC.KCL.AC.UK>

As to the question on the status of EFA.
Four countries (Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy) agreed after lengthy 
negotiatins which had originally included France to codevelop and coproduce
an aircraft for a multi-role mission. This negotiation process started in 
1975 under teh auspices of the political auspices of the IEPG and military
auspices of NATO. (The Eurofighter consortia of manufacturers from each of
the 4 participating countries has a military coordinating organisation 
NEFMA which is colocated in NATO enabling any NATO member to join - the 
Tornado project set the precedent for such organisations). Each country
had its own interests both, military, industrial, political and economics
in participating in the collaborative venture. As is nature of such ventures
lead times were extended by changing circumstances where the residing of the
common threat in the form of the USSR threatened the sources of the commonality
of interests amongst the EFA participating countries in a collaborative
aircraft. Germany has announced its intention to to purchase an aircraft
of the current design, though is contractually obligated and has announced
its intention to participate the full development programme which will
last until 1999. The Luftwaffe still needs an aircraft to replace its F104

and F-4 aircraft and therefore has suggested a cheaper and lighter aircraft
than its currently envisaged. It is up to negotiations to determine whether
such is possible and accepatble. Britain will continue on the EFA in
both development and purchase for it still sees a need of an aircraft of such
nature. One version of the EFA will be ASTOV/L and fits in with the recently
written joint Navy/Air Staff Target for the year 2005 to replace the 
Invinsible Class anti-submarine aircraft carrier and its Sea Harrier aircraft.
Italy and Spain, although both requiring a military aircraft, have industrial
and technological priorities in its continuence for many of the various
technologies that are being development for EFA have applications in the
civil aviation sphere. 

A Wild card is France, who pulled out of the orignal negotiations on EFA
for her military requirements differed from them other countries and 
has subsequently developed her own aircraft Rafael. EFA is primarily
air superiority with secondary ground attack role while France has the
Mirage 2000 and other aircraft, so Rafael is more for ground attack and
support for both Air Force and Navy though can be used with air to air
missiles though not optimaly. The German Luftwaffe after the demise of
the USSR and the recent joint Franco-German Brigade see Rafael as a 
prospect for joint development to support this brigade where there is no
apparent and immenent danger in the form of air superiority, that cannot
adequately be handled by SAM defences or Rafael with air to air missiles.

Indeed the writing was already on the wall for German withdrawel from EFA
when she withdrew, in 1989, from the 'Family of Weapons' agreement for
ASRAM and AMRAM. EFA needs a ASRAM type missile for its air superiortit
role.

Glen Segell                            Department of War Studies
UDRJ004 @ ELM.KCL.CC.AC.UK             King's College London

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