defense

We Must Break Our Logistics Dependence on Fighter Jet Aircraft

In the civilian sector, logistics is usually the sum of storage + transportation services. However, military logistics includes the "Maintenance and Sustainment" process, which is an enormous field, in the whole logistics system. This makes military logistics a difficult, complex and costly concept that often takes precedence over operations, with every step based on material parameters.

Distributing our logistic dependency on multiple countries for our Fighter Jet Aircraft will not reduce this dependency, in fact, it will make the logistic support form and process even more difficult and complex, but it will reduce our dependency on a single country (the United States).

Supporting Weapon Systems Effectively and Economically throughout their Life Cycle (Lifetime) is a Serious and Critical Logistics Activity.

Performance Based Logistics

NATO countries, of which the United States is the flag bearer, prefer the concept of Performance Based Logistics (PBL) for the lifecycle support of their military systems, especially jet fighters and jet engines. PBL is synonymous with performance-based life-cycle product support that achieves cost- and performance-effective results

PDL is a model for reducing costs through innovation by creating creative and cost-effective solutions, both industrial and intergovernmental (buyer and seller), to reduce costs through performance-based arrangements that meet and support the requirements of the combat jet fighter main system and its subsystems. The share of industry or national economies allocated to defense procurement is a significant proportion of GDP. This situation necessitates the development of sustainable and cost-effective solutions in the defense sector. The search for solutions has focused on the sustainment-operation phase, where approximately 70% of the life cycle cost of weapon systems is realized. Different approaches and methods have been tried in the search for solutions, and it has been determined that a sustainable and cost-effective solution can be found with the Performance Based Logistics (PDL) approach. The PDL approach, which has been effectively implemented in developed countries, especially in the USA, is a business model that is believed to be beneficial and preferred.

PDL can be defined as "an integrated logistics strategy that covers all phases of the life cycle, starting from the material solution phase for a new complex defense system, and from the operation-sustainment phase for a system in the inventory, in line with a long-term support strategy, designed by bringing together public-private sector capabilities and capabilities in a way that enables all stakeholders to focus on their own capabilities in order to achieve the performance targets set, and implemented with an appropriate incentive mechanism".

As can be seen from the "System Life Cycle Cost and Performance" graph below, of the jet fighters currently in the inventory of the TurAF, the F-4E is in the phase of disposal, while the MMU is still in the R&D phase and will be in the phase of Production and Inventory by 2023. The F-16 is the aircraft that is experiencing the Operation-Sustainment phase intensively, and it is the backbone fighter aircraft that is the sole player in the execution of the basic functions of the Turkish Air Force for hunting-intercept and hunting-bombing purposes.

Turkey is one of the producer countries of the F-16 and the Turkish Air Force has the second largest F-16 fleet in the world. It has a tremendous Logistics experience and know-how and is one of the most effective NATO countries in implementing the Performance Based Logistics system in the maintenance and sustainment of the F-16. Although it has made many gains in PDL with its own national capabilities, it is in dire need of US support in the maintenance of this weapon system, as is the case in other user countries.

For example, let's assume that a modification, improvement, model upgrade, etc. is to be made to any system of the F-16 (thousands of such improvements are made throughout the life cycle). This improvement is called a TCTO (Time Compliance Technical Order). Time Compliance Technical Orders are directives issued to the user Air Force to provide instructions for one-time equipment changes, modifications or inspections, or installation of new equipment. These Technical Directives are sent from the Logistics center in the United States where the F-16's systems are managed. The liaison officers of the respective user countries are also present at this center and are involved in this Technical process. All TCTO materials are provided in kits. TCTOs therefore have a cost sharing/reduction model as follows.

The cost of the TCTO's Engineering work (NRE-Non Recurring Engineering).

Non-recurring engineering (NRE) cost refers to the one-time cost to research, design, develop and test a new product or product enhancement.

This cost is borne by the user countries in proportion to the amount of aircraft they own. This represents a huge saving. In the absence of such a participation model, the entire cost would be paid by a single participating country.

The cost of the materials to be used in the implementation of the TCTO.

These TCTO materials are sent in kits to the countries concerned. These materials are purchased according to the number of TCTOs to be implemented by tender. This means significant savings in material procurement. Otherwise, the relevant country will only buy all these materials on its own behalf and will not be able to benefit from the bulk purchase discount.

The continuity of this PBL/PDL system is now under threat for reasons emanating from the US. It is assessed that the political conjuncture will continue to be intermittent, irregular and unstable. In this situation, it is imperative for us to break this logistic dependency, which we are severely exposed to, especially in the F-16. This is because, until the Hürjet and MMU are fully combat-ready, a period of approximately 5-10 years is required. Moreover, the serial production process of these aircraft will also take many years. All these harsh and clear facts dictate the need to support the F-16, while at the same time reducing the heavy logistic dependency we are exposed to in this aircraft by distributing it to other aircraft and countries.

So, by procuring which jet fighter aircraft from which country; it is possible to both reduce the burden of the F-16 and to distribute the US-dependent Logistics support system to some extent, thus creating an alternative to reduce dependency?

"When we look at Europe, the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft produced in the UK are particularly striking. These are purebred fighter jets, that is, designed and developed as 4++ generation from the beginning, with twin engines, AESA radar and very powerful air-to-air missile systems."

Another alternative for Turkey is the Rafale fighter jet produced by France. The fact that the Rafale is both 4++ generation and twin-engine makes it stand out among its counterparts. However, France's political attitude towards Turkey shows that this process will not be easy and does not inspire confidence.

The Swedish GRIPEN fighter jet is also among the options. This single-engine aircraft is close to the F-16 in terms of capacity, but does not exhibit superior features compared to its competitors. Moreover, the fact that it uses the American GE404 engine means that we will be logistically dependent on both Sweden and the US for this aircraft. Therefore, it would be appropriate to directly eliminate the GRIPEN alternative.

Russia and China are also among the countries that Turkey is interested in procuring aircraft from:

China's J-10 and Russia's SU-35 fighters are also 4++ generation. However, Turkey's procurement of Chinese and Russian aircraft is impractical in terms of effective performance-based logistics sustainment. Chinese and Russian aircraft are not compatible with NATO standards. Therefore, the Turkish Air Force's infrastructure is not compatible with these aircraft. Apart from this, Turkey has developed a large number of indigenous munitions, which we are actively using in our fighter jets. None of these ammunition will be compatible with Chinese and Russian aircraft. Therefore, if a Chinese or Russian-made fighter jet is procured, it will take approximately 5 years to adapt the Logistic Substitution and Aircraft Maintenance infrastructure of the TurAF to these aircraft. If we procure Chinese and Russian fighter jets, in other words, if we buy a weapon system from a non-NATO supplier in the defense industry, the dose of US CAATSA sanctions will probably increase even more, which will cause the current F-16 logistics support to enter a serious bottleneck.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a multi-role, twin-engine, multi-role jet fighter built by the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The Typhoon project was launched as a multi-partner project to meet the needs of European countries for a new generation fighter jet. The community of manufacturers consisted of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. France left the project after some time and decided to develop its own aircraft, the Rafale. To date, the Eurofighter Typhoon has been procured by Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Austria, Oman and Saudi Arabia, and has been ordered by two more countries: Kuwait and Qatar.

Although the Eurofighter Typhoon stands out in many areas with its superior performance, it is not preferred much due to its high cost. Recently, there has been a new development regarding the aircraft, which has been put on the second or even third plan due to its long combat readiness period and the economically responsible United Kingdom. The UK announced that it will retire 30 Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 1 fighter jets early. While it is stated that the airframe life of the aircraft is in good condition in the UK, the fact that the two countries also cooperate within the scope of the National Combat Aircraft (MMU) Program brought to mind the question "Can the UK sell Typhoons to Turkey?" The question arose. If diplomatic conditions are met, why not?

Eurofighter made its first flight in 1994. Typhoon is made of an alloy of very light materials. As with the F-16, the aircraft is "designed to be unstable and aerodynamically unstable". This is to give the Eurofighter high maneuverability. The aircraft flies under continuous "fly-by-wire" computer control because human control alone is not enough to keep the aircraft stable. The aircraft has an ILS system for landing in bad weather. It is powered by two powerful EJ100 jet engines. The active phased array radar (AESA), known as the European common radar system (ECRS) Mk2, has electronic warfare and electronic attack capabilities in addition to its 'traditional' radar capabilities. The aim of these capabilities is to detect and eliminate enemy air targets using high-power, broadband jamming.

The Tranch 1 Typhoon to be decommissioned by the UK is equipped with a mechanical scanning radar, but it is possible to upgrade these Typhoons to the new ECRS Mk2 AESA equipment in the future.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a jet fighter with higher air-to-air performance and a wider range of air-ground strike weapon options.

Maximum take-off weight: 23,500 kg, Engine Power: 2× EJ200 13,500 lbf (20,230 lbf with afterburner), Maximum Speed: Mach 2.00 (2,460+ km/h), Service Ceiling: 65,000ft (19,812 m), Range (maximum unladen): 3,790 km.

Weapons and Ammunition Carried by Eurofighter Typhoon:

Cannon: 27mm Mauser BK-27.

Missiles: AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-88 HARM, AGM Armiger, AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-132 ASRAAM, AIM-120 AMRAAM, IRIS-T, MBDA Meteor, ALARMs, Storm Shadow (AKA "Scalp EG"), Brimstone, Taurus, Penguin

Bombs Paveway 2, Paveway 3, Improved Paveway, JDAM

If we can buy 30 decommissioned Eurofighter Typhoons at an affordable price, modernize them together with the UK at an affordable price, and use these aircraft especially for air intercept missions, we can shift about 30 F-16s from air intercept missions to air-ground attack missions. Integrating our own national ammunition into these aircraft will not be a problem. Since the Eurofighter Typhoon will be purchased from the United Kingdom, one of NATO's most influential countries, it will not be a problem to install a performance-based logistics system for the Eurofighter Typhoon, and our dependence on US logistics support will be alleviated to some extent. The relief will increase as the Hürjet and MMU become combat-ready, but this process will take approximately 10-15 years, depending on the mass production numbers.

Assuming that 30 Tranch 1 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft are acquired from the United Kingdom in 2023, their combat readiness will be 2025 at the earliest, taking into account that these aircraft are also being upgraded. It should also be taken into account what the total modernization process will be for the 30 aircraft that will be modernized in stages.

These aircraft will be able to support the Turkish Air Force by 2025 at the earliest. Assuming that the modernization of all 30 aircraft will be completed by 2026 at the earliest, and if the Hürjet becomes combat-ready within this year, both the F-16 and the performance-based logistics system will start to breathe easy as of early 2027.