The Fougas were retired,as were the Alouettes,because the manufacturer was no longer interested in making,stocking or selling spares for them, in the same way as Dassault and Snecma stopped supporting the Mirage III family /Atar 9 engines worldwide and users were forced to ground their fleets or sharply reduce their use as spares holding dwindled. Aerospatiale were charging cartoon money for Alouette spares, to the point that virtually the only ones left flying are Indian and Romanian license built copies. The Fougas were also having issues with certain bolts and rivets in the wings, so it was an easy decision to chop them.
One of the points that is forgotten about this State's ability to afford expensive aircraft is that we spend decades buying and operating very expensive aircraft under the guise of Aer Lingus, who, as the former State airline, flew 737s and 747s,that were fully owned by the State and cost a fortune to buy and operate, back in the day when there were no Ryanair style discounts from Boeing. We paid full whack for those aircraft and they cost considerable amounts to run, much more than the cost of any AC aircraft. The 747s, in particular, drank fuel and oil like alcoholics and their eye-watering daily operating costs, back then, would put the hourly cost of a Gripen today, in the shade. We were also held over a barrel for the costs of the Fougas, their overhauls and their subsequent modifications to our standards. Yet, for reasons of prestige, aircraft like the 747s were kept going until better aircraft came on stream. The A330 halved operating costs literally overnight, as a direct comparison. (today, the new NEOs are doing the same). Once aircraft leasing became the norm in the airline industry,gross costs fell further but airlines still spend crazy money in keeping modern fleets going. They'd regard running a PC-9 as small potatoes and even a moderately sized helicopter as still cheaper than running a 737 or A320. Ireland Inc was paying for a modern, competitive, varied fleet in EI for decades until they sold the company, considerably more monies than were spent on the AC. Ireland is not a poor country,still has a good reputation as a worthy client to the big banks and Govt lenders and is perfectly capable of leasing even a token fleet of combat jets (or ships or tanks or modern artillery or radar,etc,etc). But,the big but, is that Govts don't want to be seen to buy big dollar military kit, as it is percieved as a waste, when it was regarded as perfectly okay to piss money away on the 747s and old 737s, long after they were known to be uneconomical to keep. They have also tended to buy capital equipment , when the old stuff is on the verge of collapse or is practically suicidal to operate. Im not saying we should hose money away on Defence but a bit of joined up thinking and an approach to the Swedish Govt would put a leased Gripen on the ramp,within short order. There are plenty of fast jet operators out there who would come up with a Govt to Govt leasing scheme, if it gave their crews and aircraft a worthwhile task ..... Defence costs, within reason, are one of those costs that a country has to suck up,like paying for policemen or roads or harbours or airports or ATC radar, simply because you have to. We have a first-world country with a military that is a shadow of what it ought to be.
One of the points that is forgotten about this State's ability to afford expensive aircraft is that we spend decades buying and operating very expensive aircraft under the guise of Aer Lingus, who, as the former State airline, flew 737s and 747s,that were fully owned by the State and cost a fortune to buy and operate, back in the day when there were no Ryanair style discounts from Boeing. We paid full whack for those aircraft and they cost considerable amounts to run, much more than the cost of any AC aircraft. The 747s, in particular, drank fuel and oil like alcoholics and their eye-watering daily operating costs, back then, would put the hourly cost of a Gripen today, in the shade. We were also held over a barrel for the costs of the Fougas, their overhauls and their subsequent modifications to our standards. Yet, for reasons of prestige, aircraft like the 747s were kept going until better aircraft came on stream. The A330 halved operating costs literally overnight, as a direct comparison. (today, the new NEOs are doing the same). Once aircraft leasing became the norm in the airline industry,gross costs fell further but airlines still spend crazy money in keeping modern fleets going. They'd regard running a PC-9 as small potatoes and even a moderately sized helicopter as still cheaper than running a 737 or A320. Ireland Inc was paying for a modern, competitive, varied fleet in EI for decades until they sold the company, considerably more monies than were spent on the AC. Ireland is not a poor country,still has a good reputation as a worthy client to the big banks and Govt lenders and is perfectly capable of leasing even a token fleet of combat jets (or ships or tanks or modern artillery or radar,etc,etc). But,the big but, is that Govts don't want to be seen to buy big dollar military kit, as it is percieved as a waste, when it was regarded as perfectly okay to piss money away on the 747s and old 737s, long after they were known to be uneconomical to keep. They have also tended to buy capital equipment , when the old stuff is on the verge of collapse or is practically suicidal to operate. Im not saying we should hose money away on Defence but a bit of joined up thinking and an approach to the Swedish Govt would put a leased Gripen on the ramp,within short order. There are plenty of fast jet operators out there who would come up with a Govt to Govt leasing scheme, if it gave their crews and aircraft a worthwhile task ..... Defence costs, within reason, are one of those costs that a country has to suck up,like paying for policemen or roads or harbours or airports or ATC radar, simply because you have to. We have a first-world country with a military that is a shadow of what it ought to be.
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