Flight International - 10Dec2019

26 | Flight International | 10-16 December 2019 flightglobal.com

WORLD AIR FORCES

Cover story

CRAIG HOYLE LONDON Foreign policy clashes reshaped defence procurement in

2019 as international tension between the USA and Turkey

grew. Our annual review looks at military fleets worldwide

O

perations at home and inter-

nationally remained the key

focus for military air arms of all

sizes in 2019, while geopolitics

and seemingly shifting alliances also

prompted notable alterations to some of their

procurement plans.

In what was one of the biggest defence

developments of the year, a period of

brinkmanship between Turkish President

Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his counterpart

Donald Trump’s US administration came to a

spectacular conclusion in July.

Having repeatedly warned Ankara that it

would not tolerate a NATO ally purchasing

Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf long-range air-de-

fence systems from Russia, Washington made

good with its threat and for the first time eject-

ed a partner nation from Lockheed Martin’s

F-35 programme.

With four examples having already been

handed over to the Turkish customer to sup-

port multinational training activities in the

USA, Ankara’s plans to field an eventual 100

conventional take-off and landing F-35As

were denied immediately after the first S-400

system elements arrived on Turkish soil.

In addition to blocking any future purchases

of its stealthy combat aircraft, this measure

also launched the formal process of removing

Turkish companies from Lockheed’s indust-

rial supply chain for the Lightning II.

Erdogan’s response was belligerent,

describing Ankara’s procurement decisions as

a wholly sovereign matter. His next move will

be of intrigue, but also could prove more dam-

aging to the country’s NATO credentials.

While Turkish Aerospace is working on its

own TF-X fighter design, Erdogan toured the

MAKS Moscow air show with Russian Presi-

dent Vladimir Putin in August, and was

offered co-operation on the Sukhoi Su-35 and

Su-57 fighters.

Russia, meanwhile, provided its own boost

to the Su-57 programme in June, by signing a

deal to acquire 76 production examples. It has

also accelerated its service plans for the

aircraft, which now call for three full

regiments to be operating the type by 2028.

Other notable developments in the combat

aircraft sphere during 2019 included China

flying upgraded Harbin H-6K strategic bomb-

ers during a show of strength above Beijing on

1  October to mark the 70th anniversary of

Communist Party rule. Its fleet of Chengdu

J-20 fighters also continues to grow, with

Cirium fleets data showing 15 as now in

active use.

Beyond ongoing campaigns over Iraq and

Syria and within Afghanistan, international

focus was placed on new tensions in the Mid-

dle East. These included a Saudi Arabian oil

refinery being attacked by unmanned air vehi-

cles in response to its continuing offensive in

Yemen, and Iran shooting down a US Navy

(USN) Northrop Grumman RQ-4C Triton over

the Persian Gulf.

F-35 ADVANCES

Despite its orders reversal with Turkey, the

F-35 programme had a good year, with Lock-

heed and the US Department of Defense

agreeing a multi-year contract worth $34 bil-

lion for up to 478 examples. The airframer

and its suppliers have made further progress

with driving down the fifth-generation type’s

acquisition costs, and the global operational

fleet is now only three shy of 400 units, in-

cluding 165 examples dedicated to training.

Political

powerplays

US Air Force

US inventory dominates our

World Air Forces listing,

with a 25% share of total