Spain lays out Plans for F/A-18 Replacement

The Spanish Air Force (Ejército del Aire Español (EdAE)) is looking to develop a new "system of systems" to replace its Boeing F/A-18 Hornet fighters in the 2030 timeframe, a senior service official said on 15 November.

Speaking under the Chatham House Rule, the official said that the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) will comprise three parts, made up of about 50 legacy Tranche 2 and Tranche 3 Eurofighter Typhoons that have been upgraded to network with a fifth-generation aircraft; a new fifth-generation aircraft (type and numbers to be decided); and an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (type and numbers to be decided).

www.janes.com...

So, a 5th gen fighter. That probably means an F-35 at this point. Unless they are planning to buy Japanese or South Korean (which I doubt).

a reply to: anzha

They've been nosing around the F-35 for years. Their budget issues have kept them from pulling the trigger but the interest is there.

Sixth generation unmanned fighters are due 2025-2030 as will unmanned submarines,they are probably best off waiting till the 11th hour

a reply to: khnum

They can't even afford F-35s now, with the price dropping. There's no way they could afford something like that, if they go ahead with it, and allow it to be exported.

a reply to: Zaphod58

There will be probably several models the Mustang or Boss Mustang versions for foreign customers and the Shelby version for the US- cutting out the human probably saves money.

a reply to: khnum

If they go ahead with sixth gen it's not going to reach IOC until more like 2040. But The chances of it happening aren't looking great right now.

Maybe they can pay Obama and company with Pizza's.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Obama has focused on drones and special forces as the wars of the last 8 years have been largely asymmetricial ones,it will be interesting what a Trump military development plan looks like tensions are increasing with growing powers Russia and China .Conventional forces may once again become important such as in the 1960's.Unmanned may be the way to go in both Navy and Airforce as both manned equipment and personnel are becoming hellishly expensive to the point one wonders whether the aim these days is to sucessfully fight a war or successfully maximize profits for contractors.

a reply to: khnum

It doesn't matter what Obama has done. The Pentagon is still in charge of procurement and development. If you look, the number of UAV missions has increased, while the physical number of UAVs has stayed relatively flat.

As for sixth gen, they're looking at other options to break the traditional paradigm and get more flexibility.

As for costs, that's what happens when you have a combination of aircraft older than their crews, and the most advanced aircraft ever built. It costs a lot for both.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: anzha

They've been nosing around the F-35 for years. Their budget issues have kept them from pulling the trigger but the interest is there.

I was going to say the same thing. Spain is an unlikely candidate for a 5th gen fighter from an economy/cost standpoint. They spend 0.6 percent of their GDP in 2015 which IMHO precludes major aircraft purchases.

a reply to: Zaphod58

The Pak FA will cost 50 million each the F35c is 116 million-is it 2.2 times the aircraft?,yes I remember the F111's near where I live were totally rebuilt on average 1.5 years- old planes are expensive as are new ones but by costs I meant the serious overcharging that goes on.

a reply to: khnum

The T-50 currently runs $100M+. They're buying one Squadron which will keep the cost up. Meanwhile the F-35A is under $100M before engine cost is added, and between $110-112M with engine. All three versions are dropping with each lot, and once the block buys start they'll drop more.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Sorry I have an older article which stated they were getting 150 T-50's

a reply to: Fools


What? Why would they pay with pizza? DoD wants cash for weapons.

a reply to: khnum

They're having to stretch their buy over a much longer period. They may eventually do a large buy, but for now they're only getting 17.

originally posted by: Fools
Maybe they can pay Obama and company with Pizza's.

Italians do Pizza, the Spanish do Paella.

Do you buy aircraft in Hotdogs and Burgers?

I wonder if they will try and join the UK and French UAV study or if Eurofighter cured them of pan-European partnerships!

originally posted by: Fools
Maybe they can pay Obama and company with Pizza's.

Spain isn't known for it's pizza's as far as i know.
Sit back learn and enjoy the thread by those that know such things.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I'd guess they will pull the trigger about 2020, given the rate of price drops.

At the same time, they'll work on modifying their Typhoons to talk to the F-35s.

Then they'll buy whatever UCAV comes out of the FCAS program.

Paying in pizza was a joke. Not trying to rhyme here, but isn't Spain totally broke? I would think a better match for them in affordability with capability would be the Super Hornet. 3 to 1 aircraft including full support.

I know that it isn't stealth, but what threat is Spain seeing that they need stealth?

Also, buying the T50 wouldn't happen for quite some time (10 plus years? Russia itself has only built about 10 of them, it that). Unless you are talking about the Korean trainer?

a reply to: Fools

The first squadron of T-50s will be bought next year. It'll probably be a couple years before they're delivered though.

As for Spain the Gripen, or Super Hornet would be a better fit for them. The Gripen offers some of the 5th Gen capabilities, at a low initial cost, and relatively low life cycle cost.