Germany issues inaugural Air Capability Strategy Paper

[Zarvan]

The Eurofighter Typhoon was one of the platforms referenced in the German government's newly released Air Capability Strategy Paper. Source: Airbus

The German Department of Defence released on 19 January its first Air Capability Strategy Paper to highlight the Bundeswehr's aviation strategy and equipment priorities over the coming years.

The paper, which will complement the federal government's civil aviation strategy, is geared at providing transparency to Germany's military aviation current capabilities, as well as its medium- to long-term future requirements.

According to the Department of Defence, the long-term remit of the report is critical, given the extended timelines taken to develop current and future military technologies, combined with the fact that most if not all of Germany's planned capabilities will be developed by international consortia. With some 22,000 citizens involved in the defence industry this clarity is essential.

Key programmes and platforms referenced in the report include the Future Combat Air System (FCAS); the Eurofighter Typhoon; the Panavia Tornado; the Airbus Defence and Space (DS) A400M Atlas; the Airbus DS A310 MultiRole Tanker Transport (MRTT); the Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion; the Northrop Grumman MQ-4 Triton; the European medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 2020; KZP and Luna tactical UAVs; naval vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAVs for K130 corvettes; stratospheric UAVs and/or satellites; Airbus Helicopters Tiger; VFW-Sikorsky CH-53G/GS/GA Stallion; NHIndustries NH90; Westland Sea Lynx; as well as the NATO-operated Boeing E-3 Airborne Early Warning And Control System (AWACS).

Specifically, while the FCAS concept will rest on the Typhoon as the air-defence pillar for the foreseeable future, the search for a Tornado replacement platform (either manned or unmanned/optionally manned) is to be implemented, and studied further in 2016 (including talks with potential European partners).

Typhoon Tranche 1 aircraft are to be operated as long as economically viable to meet national and international commitments, with delivery of the later Tranche 2/3A aircraft to be complete in 2018. Spiral upgrades with air-surface armaments (including GBU-48 in the near term, a short-range ground-attack missile by 2020, a medium-range ground-attack missile from 2020, and new effectors for maritime anti-surface warfare [ASuW] and suppression-of-enemy-air defences [SEAD] roles from the 2025 time frame) and sensors (including an active electronically scanned array radar and enhanced targeting pod) are envisaged at this stage.

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Germany issues inaugural Air Capability Strategy Paper | IHS Jane's 360