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Defending the Irish airspace

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  • The whole thing about number of maintenance hours per flight hour is smoke and mirrors; each air force has a different number of techs working on their aircraft and each air force differs in how it approaches maintenance tasks. When you buy an aircraft package, you are buying the manufacturers' opinion as to how long a task takes and how much should be budgeted for the task. As an example,changing a mainwheel on a 737 takes about 20 minutes,on average,yet I'll bet the manual has it blocked off as an hour (or rather,one m/hr unit). I wonder how much they block off for a wheel change on a P8 and how much do they charge the USAF when a third party contractor changes the tyre, such as the Air tanker contract for the RAF on it's Voyagers. Realworld maintenance varies wildly from the manual and I'll bet quoted manufacturer rates of 70,000 /hr for a Typhoon are not real world numbers.

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    • A few years ago the RAF raised the major inspection interval for their Eurofighters from 400hrs to 500hr, this was a total fleet saving of £100m. Thus the direct cost of deport maintenance can be calculated out, remembering that it was based on a fleet of 160 airframes.

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      • Originally posted by Anzac View Post
        Airbus Defence are developing an upgrade package for Tranche 1 birds that integrates Tranche 2 and 3 capabilities and last year iirc Spain are the lead customer. The is a follow up downstream with Meteor integration and E-Scan radar.

        All operational Tranche 1 have been upgraded to Block 5 for some years now.
        The Spanish upgrade is not to the full Tranche2/3 standard it only include some items such as Computer Symbol Generator , Digital Video and Voice Recorder , Laser Designator POD and Maintenance Data Panel. Also the Spanish are only fitting 19 of the Tranche 3 with the E-Captor radar. Also as recently as February Spain has offered to sell basically its Tranche 1 fleet to Columbia so the scope of any upgrade maybe more to make these aircraft interesting rather than to hold onto them. (Btw Airbus has also offered Tranche 3 aircraft to FAC).

        We have discussed that the Germans have to replace their Tornado aircraft but the Spanish have F/A-18A-B aircraft which are now over 30yrs old and urgently need replacing. There is no way they will be able to keep them in service until 2035-40 when the Tempest might be available. So maybe we will see them join the Germans with a similar deal a split of new build Eurofighters with Super Hornets. This would be a motivation to get rid of their Tranche 1 aircraft as it would extend the life of their assembly plant in Getafe.

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        • One can but dream.....

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          And not to leave anyone out:

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          Last edited by EUFighter; 12 April 2020, 19:04.

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          • Originally posted by EUFighter View Post
            A few years ago the RAF raised the major inspection interval for their Eurofighters from 400hrs to 500hr, this was a total fleet saving of £100m. Thus the direct cost of deport maintenance can be calculated out, remembering that it was based on a fleet of 160 airframes.
            raising maintenance intervals is not uncommon,but I'm sure the RAF didnt do it off the cuff. I'll bet the Eurofighter syndicate did what Airbus do and read the numbers first and then decide what kind of a real-world service interval to impose. We did it in the Don years ago, on the King Air, from 150 to 200 hours and it worked a treat and it was based purely on Beechcraft's real time analysis of actual aircraft in the global fleet. It saved a great deal of time and money and gave greater utility. same for the Dauphin; when we got it first, it ate parts because Aerospatiale were being very conservative with composite parts, especially rotor head parts and I recall one critical head part going from 1200 hrs to 1500 hrs interval, which effectively gave a free year of service life......some of the Eurofighter upgrades are simple computer changes and the physical aircraft won't change.

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            • Thought this was an interesting piece of context from where things were at the height of the Cold War.

              An RAF fighter pilot has recalled being the first to be scrambled to intercept 80 Russian planes off the coast of Scotland exactly 50 years ago.
              'History is a vast early warning system'. Norman Cousins

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              • 2 Blackjacks down west coast followed by 2 Typhoons today

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                • Originally posted by DeV View Post
                  2 Blackjacks down west coast followed by 2 Typhoons today
                  Source?
                  The RAF says two bears where intercepted by them and Norway this morning but they turned back?


                  Nice image of Ireland's Air Picture on that thread by the RAF



                  Last edited by CTU; 29 April 2020, 20:00.
                  It was the year of fire...the year of destruction...the year we took back what was ours.
                  It was the year of rebirth...the year of great sadness...the year of pain...and the year of joy.
                  It was a new age...It was the end of history.
                  It was the year everything changed.

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                  • Originally posted by CTU View Post
                    Source?
                    The RAF says two bears where intercepted by them and Norway this morning but they turned back?


                    Nice image of Ireland's Air Picture on that thread by the RAF



                    Unofficial source on twitter (must have been mistaken)

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                    • Thomas Withington profiles the UK's Project GUARDIAN air command and control system, expected to enter service in the near future.


                      Bit of background on the RAF IADS

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                      • Apparently the acquisition of "military jet aircraft" is to be considered.

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                        • Originally posted by pilatus View Post
                          https://www.irishtimes.com/news/irel...raft-1.4289801

                          Apparently the acquisition of "military jet aircraft" is to be considered.
                          Meh, I'd be willing to bet that article is based off the same thing that had Don Lavery declaring we were getting jets, the equipment roadmap that made it utterly clear that it was an unfunded and currently unplanned buy that might be considered at some stage in the future.. So a non story then...

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                          • I'm considering getting a BMW R1250RT and a Mutsubishi Outlander PHEV. This is after I remodel the bathroom and rewire the house.
                            (None of the above can be completed during the current financial year but will remain under consideration until sufficient funds allow.)
                            I wont be getting too excited until a delegation from Saab, mcDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics are seen measuring the runway at Baldonnel.
                            For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.

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                            • Originally posted by pilatus View Post
                              https://www.irishtimes.com/news/irel...raft-1.4289801

                              Apparently the acquisition of "military jet aircraft" is to be considered.
                              It’s in the White Paper

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                              • The link above is to a document released yesterday titled "Department of Defence - Defence Forces - Equipment Development Plan 2020-24"


                                "Future programmes at pre planning stage
                                Beyond the very significant range of projects already underway or in existing planning streams, the EDP highlights others that are expected to progress in future phases of the plan. This is not an exhaustive list but gives an indication of the scale and range of programmes that will enter planning. At this stage there is not a definite commitment to pursue, or an associated time-frame, for these. These include a primary radar system, air combat interceptor, replacement of the two Coastal Patrol vessels, acquisition of diver based mine counter-measures and counter improvised explosive device equipment, field catering equipment, various vehicles such as replacement mini-buses, military trailers and an armoured ambulance as well as various surveillance and explosive ordnance disposal equipment."

                                It's worth a read, there is mention of an upgrade for the PC9's, acquisition of a ground based radar for national coverage, sonar suites for the P60's amongst other items.

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