According to the Associated Press, in Tennessee crashed fighter-bomber F/A-18, pilot Jeff Kuss died. This is not the first incident with this type of plane in a short time. 26 may off the coast of North Carolina clashed in the sky, two F/A-18E “Super hornet”.
In America around this carrier-based fighter-bomber long a major scandal is brewing. On the eve of the recent disaster edition Usni news told about the acute problems of the carriers, which actually turned out to be without aviation. This happened in the United States for the first time.
The fact that three of the four fighter-bombers, F/A-18 is not ready for war. Moreover, there is no efficient reserve. This may 26, said the members of the Committee of the house of representatives of the US armed forces. On the one hand, Lockheed Martin did not put on the wing of the F-35, on the other — the law of 2011 on the control of the military budget actually stripped of tactical aircraft of the Navy of funds for maintenance. The third reason is the excessive use of airplanes in long campaigns in the middle East. Affects ruinous policy of “drone zone”, which was established by the United States without regard to technical ability. This resulted in a real failure in the defense of the U.S., say lawmakers.
In figures it looks so: now have 539 of F/A-18 and its variants, including the F/A-18E and F/A-18 °F “Super hornet”, a fully exhausted the resource of engines, including 91 machine requires a major overhaul. At the same time, the US Navy has 753 aircraft of this type. To remedy this situation, developed an emergency program, under which it is planned through the year to “revive” at least one aircraft wing.
“In the rear, there is nothing that we could offer the carriers in the event of a conflict,” said Congressman Randy Forbes. And this is when the US defense Secretary Ashton Carter was forced to admit that the “Super hornet” will fly at least until 2030, while it will not replace the F-35.
This problem has arisen not today. Immediately after the imposition of austerity in 2011, the maximum allowable flight hours F/A-18 was increased from 8,600 to 10,000 hours. This was done to meet operational demand. However, the operation revealed that many of the components of the aircraft were “obsolete” by the manufacturer before the guaranteed term. For example, part of the wing, which has pylons carrying bombs, rockets, special equipment or additional fuel tanks are not over 3000 hours, that is, two times shorter period promised by the developers of McDonnell Douglas. To the accusations of congressmen designers respond that the calculation of “metal fatigue” remains more an art than a science. Curiously, no such problem was noted more on the “old” F-18, though, because the engine power was 25% less.
The portal StrategyWorld an editorial in the “Naval aviation is falling apart”, the current situation of American combat aircraft aviation explains the erroneous perception of “dividends” at the end of the cold war, which the United States recorded in their historical asset as victorious. Under the influence of destructive processes in Russia in the 90-ies of the last century adopted an ambitious program for the construction of fighter 5 th generation. It was considered that the monopoly of power guaranteed Washington for decades to come.
Commander fighter wing Atlantic Randy Stearns, which has more than 3800 flight hours and 850 landings on the deck, speaking to Congress, said that is not uncommon for repair of aircraft used parts taken from other aircraft.
For example, in support of the recently announced expansion of the carrier strike group Harry Truman, who launched air strikes against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, captain Stearns had to allocate three additional squadrons. That’s just to bomb the terrorists they will not, and will be used as a source of spare parts to maintain the four existing squadrons of “Super hornet”.
“Had to call in three squadrons controlled by me and say “get ready to become donors for the aircraft carrier “Truman” — emotionally he explained to the members of the Committee of the house of representatives of the US armed forces. — Dispossession will not be paid because no money, although it is necessary to fight. This came as an unexpected tax on the entire military system.” Moreover, the older the plane, the set before him a more gentle tasks that do not require combat maneuvers or heavy load, says Stearns.
Recall that the aircraft carrier “Harry Truman” from December 29, 2015 participates in the operation “Unwavering commitment” by replacing in the Persian Gulf aircraft carrier “Theodore Roosevelt”, which left the Persian Gulf and proceeded to repair.
One way or another, but the problem of the F/A-18 has a bright political overtones. At stake is the image of the us military aircraft. Many in the US perceive the “second birth” of F/A-18, as a statement of the shameful failure of the program F-35C. That is why it was hard for the Navy to purchase for the needs of aircraft carriers in 2017 2 cars and another 14 in 2018.
Meanwhile, Boeing expects to maintain the serial production of its “Super hornet”, including the variant EA-18G (carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft based on the F/A-18F), insisting on the orders for 24 machines per year. Otherwise the manufacturer is not to ensure the viability of the production and logistics of spare parts. Judging by the draft defense budget for 2018, hope Boeing will come true.
“I think it’s a good decision,” says the analyst of aerospace and defense engineering Wayne Plucker of frost & Sullivan. It was really predictable and economically justified.” It is symptomatic that simultaneously with this decision, the Pentagon will increase its purchases of F-16 with a new active electronically scanned array radar. It all says only one thing: the new owner of the White house in any case increase the appropriation of military programs, the expert assumes.
However, a recently retired Deputy air force chief of staff General Larry Spencer argues that it makes no sense to buy old models of fighter planes, if the Russian and Chinese aircraft are becoming more efficient. “You have to look at what they are going to fight against us,” he says. — A new generation of missiles “air-air”, as well as innovative ability of early warning of our fighters doing “fourth generation” vulnerable”. He cites the results of a Syrian company Russian HQs.
And after all the information from the USA about the problems of tactical aircraft, the Navy does not mean the curtailing of the F-35. The same Wayne Plucker believes that the timing of the development of the new fighter of the fifth generation have been underestimated due to the complexity of the project. To put such a machine on the wing, in his opinion, would require at least forty years. In other words, a return to the F/A-18 °F only shows the respite in military geopolitics in order to continue to receive “new dividends” from monopoly power.
