procurement of Russian S-400 missiles
(see Ops Desk on p16 of this issue), TF-X
is assuming a new level of importance.
The fifth-generation fighter has been
developed in collaboration with BAE
Systems, and at the unveiling Turkish
Aerospace chief executive Temel Kotil
said he expects the aircraft to make its
first flight in 2025, which is a year ahead
of previous announcements, however,
it’s unclear if this is part of an attempt to
accelerate TF-X.
Turkey is striving to become an
aerospace manufacturing force to be
reckoned with, but its soured relations
with the US will likely dent those
aspirations. For the time being, it’s unclear
how this will directly affect TF-X.Fighter growth
Amid a backdrop of two new fighter
aircraft concepts, the worldwide fighteraircraft market is expected to grow by
as much as 17.2 per cent over the next
decade according to recent reports, with
Lockheed Martin leading the field with
the F-35. Speaking in Paris, Greg Ulmer,
vice-president and general manager of
the F-35 program said that he expects
to see 500 F-35s operating in Europe
by 2030. He also commented on the
situation with Turkey, saying that despite
pilot training in the US having ceased,
Lockheed Martin is still procuring parts
from its existing F-35 supply chain in
Turkey and that there had not been
changes to contracts thus far. He was
clear that there would be no impact on
plans to deliver 131 F-35s this year.
Amid criticism of F-35 support costs,
Ulmer said that the program is on track
to reduce the average cost per flight
hour from the current $35,000 to $25,000
by 2025 and that F-35As procured inproduction Lots 12-14 would come in
under the $80-million unit cost target.
Boeing too is seeing renewed interest in
types that were previously expected to be
out of production by now. With the F-15EX
looking set to be procured for the US Air
Force, the Super Hornet too is seeing a
new lease of life, with new production and
Block III upgrades for the US Navy to keep
the production line employed until at
least 2033 on current plans. Boeing’s Thom
Breckenridge said that the company isM-345 ON
THE UP
The first production example of
Leonardo’s M-345 basic fast jet
training aircraft arrived in Paris with
the company having secured a
follow-on order worth €300 million
from the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica
Militare, AM) in the run-up to the
show for an additional 13 aircraft. To
be designated the T-345A by the AM,
there are currently 18 on order from a
total requirement of 45. Italy is to date
the sole customer for the aircraft — a
modernized derivative of the earlier
S-211 — and certification testing is
ongoing ahead of the planned first
delivery in early 2020.Above: The
Turkish
Aerospace
TF-X was
unveiled almost
simultaneously
with the NGF
in Paris. It
almost stole the
show from the
domestic offering
especially in light
of recent poor
relations between
the Turkish and
US governments.
Jamie Hunter
Left: After the
reveal, the TF-X
mock-up was
displayed with a
host of domestic
Turkish air-to-air
and air-to-ground
weapons.
Jamie Hunter
Right: Leonardo
is expected
to develop an
armed variant
of the M-345 in
the same way
as it has with
its M-346FA.
LeonardoINDUSTRY REPORT // PARIS AIR SHOW
54 August 2019 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
52-55 Paris C.indd 54 21/06/2019 11:48