03/01/2021

Pag. 44 N.21 - dicembre 2021 Aviation Week & Space Technology

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Berlin’s Billions Are Laying launching a new tender will take time. Cost concerns also
stalled an ongoing upgrade program of the navy’s Lockheed
the Foundation for Stronger P-3 Orion maritime patrollers, prompting acceleration of
the introduction of a replacement.
German Defense Meanwhile, there is the ongoing saga of Germany’s
TLVS tactical air and missile defense requirement, which
> FIGHTERS, HELICOPTERS, TLVS DUE FOR BUILDUP selected the Lockheed Martin/MBDA Medium Extended
Air-Defense System to replace its Patriot batteries. Five
> MEETING 2% GDP SPENDING TARGET IS STILL years since selection and with a multitude of offers on the
UNCERTAIN table, industry has not received a final answer.
Perhaps most fervently awaited will be how Germany
Tony Osborne London moves ahead to replace its Panavia Tornado fleet—the plat-

B
erlin has begun splashing out the cash for its long- form that performs its nuclear deterrence role, albeit with
promised defense modernization. U.S.-owned nuclear weapons. Kramp-Karrenbauer
Germany looks set to be one of the biggest spend- announced that a mix of Eurofighters and U.S.-supplied
ers on new defense equipment in Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets
Europe during 2021. It signed con- and EA-18G Growler electronic-
GERMANY DEFENSE BUDGET FORECAST
tracts in the final months of 2019 suppression aircraft would replace
worth around €10 billion (now $12.1 $60 the Tornado, but the decision would
billion), covering the purchase of a 50 be taken by a future administration
new batch of Eurofighters and the in 2022 or 2023, kicking it into the
U.S. $ BILLIONS (REAL)

40
retrofit of electronically scanned ra- long grass and potentially putting it
dars for earlier models of the same 30 at risk. Commentators warn that the
aircraft, as well as for a new fleet of political mood in Germany is chang-
20
NH90 rotorcraft for anti-submarine ing and may be favoring a conserva-
warfare (ASW). 10 tive-green coalition that would be
There is no doubt the COVID-19 less than enthusiastic about spend-
0
pandemic has played a part in this 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 ing on defense and deeply skeptical
buildup, as many of the orders will about bolstering Germany’s role in
Source: Aviation Week Network
help support critically important nuclear deterrence.
German aerospace jobs and skills at Before then, Berlin is likely to give
a time when the commercial market is depressed, but it also the go-ahead for the European Medium-Altitude, Long-
appears to be marking a step in a new direction. Previous Endurance Remotely Piloted Air System (EuroMALE
administrations have been salami-slicing the country’s de-

JANA NEUMANN/BUNDESWEHR
fense budget since the end of the Cold War, a policy that
Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer says was
a mistake that has “hit the armed forces to the core.”
“This must not be repeated,” she insists.
Budgets are growing. Berlin plans to spend €46.8 billion
on defense in 2021, €1.2 billion more than in 2020. These
increases have allowed the modernization to move ahead
and boosted the availability of key equipment, an issue
that had caused widespread embarrassment and led to
questions about whether Germany could be a reliable ally.
But the defense budget is still significantly short of the
oft-criticized 2% of GDP requested by NATO and pledged
by neighboring countries.
In fact, Germany does not expect to hit the 2% target un-
til well after 2025 and potentially into the 2030s, if at all. Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is pushing
Even then, fielding new capabilities will be a painfully slow for a larger German defense presence.
process, fraught with red tape and still in need of reform.
While orders for new Eurofighters and ASW helicop- RPAS) as well as the Pegasus signals-intelligence platform
ters represent a first step toward modernization, there are using the Bombardier Global 6000 business jet platform.
gaps in the program that still need to be filled. In Septem- Contract decisions also are expected on the Tiger Mk. 3
ber, procurement agencies canceled Berlin’s long-running midlife update for the attack helicopter, and potentially an
tender to find a replacement for the aging Sikorsky CH-53 order for light utility helicopters for the army.
Sea Stallion heavy-lift helicopter. What should have been a While it sees itself as one of the pillars of European de-
face-off between the Boeing CH-47 Chinook and Sikorsky fense along with France, Germany is looking to strengthen
CH-53K King Stallion stalled because the proposed offers cooperation with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, rec-
were far in excess of Berlin’s €5.4 billion budget, leaving ognizing the growing threat from China.
the future of the tactically important CH-53 fleet in limbo. “Germany will be more present,” Kramp-Karrenbauer
Procurement authorities describe the CH-53 replacement asserts. “We will show the flag for our values, interests
requirement as a priority, but rewriting requirements and and partners.” c

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