O stire extrem de draguta si-a facut loc zilele trecute prin presa engleza: Marea Britanie ar vrea sa cumpere in viitorul apropiat niste F-16 second-hand!
Totul a plecat de la o declaratie a Lt.Cdr. Tim Flatman, comandantul 736 Naval Air Squadron, care a spus ca F-16 second-hand ar trebui luate in considerare pentru inlocuirea „batranelor” Hawk MK I, ce vor fi retrase din serviciu prin 2020.
„Mai sunt doar sase ani pana la retragerea din serviciu a acestor avioane. Nu s-a luat inca o decizie cu privire la inlocuirea lor, insa sunt cateva optiuni evaluate chiar in aceste momente. Am putea avea Hawk T2, dar exista posibilitatea de a cumpara si cateva F-16 folosite”, a spus acesta.
Englezii scriu acum ca Royal Air Force a si gasit niste F-16 second intr-o stare acceptabila in Danemarca, acolo unde ne-am uitat si noi inainte de a bate palma cu portughezii.
Totusi, specialistii nu cred ca F-16 poate fi o optiune serioasa pentru Fortele Aeriene din simplul motiv ca ar fi nerusinat de scump.
Cand povestea din presa britanica a luat amploare, scriindu-se chiar ca simbolul aviatiei regale, Red Arrows, vor zbura pe F-16 second, oficiali de rang inalt au intervenit spunand ca nu se pune problema achizitionarii de vechituri.
Foarte probabil, se vor gasi bani pentru a trece la Hawk T2, in acest fel toata lumea fiind multumita.The Red Arrows should replace their ageing British made jets with second hand American built planes, a senior RAF officer has suggested. The aerobatic display team currently fly the Hawk T1 jet, which is due to go out of service in 2020. The team’s lead pilot, Squadron Leader Jim Turner, recently warned that the aircraft flown by his team would need replacing in 2018.
It had been thought that the Hawk T1 flown the Red Arrows could be replaced by its successor the T2. But Lieutenant Commander Tim Flatman, who trains pilots for the Fleet Air Arm, has now said that the Falcon F-16 should be considered as a replacement.
Speaking to AirForces Monthly, he said: ‘The out of service date is only six years away and the requirement to find a replacement is ongoing. As yet no decision has been made but there are several options being evaluated. We could have some Hawk T2s. There is also the possibility of buying some older F-16s.’
The F-16 was developed for the US Air Force and is currently used by the American aerobatics display team the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, nicknamed the Thunderbirds.
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La bautura se spun multe.