Sukhoi say they have not been invited to tender for Australian fighter contract,but they are already hard at work

Published: 1/17/2000

A series of presentations made in November by Sukhoi in Australia, including the Control of the Air conference in Canberra, suggests that the company is continuing to position itself as a potential supplier of aircraft to replace Australia"s fleet of F/A-18's fighters and F-111 strike aircraft. The Department of Defence multi stage process - Air 6000 - calls for the replacement of the 71 F-18/A-18A/Bs and the 35 F-111 C/Gs by 2020 and is projected to be worth $10billion, according to Minister of Defence, Ian McLachlan. The first phase of the three-stage procurement is expected to start in 2005 and will examine the various options available, including UAVs, with service entry around 2010. Both the Eurofighter EF2000 and the Dassault Rafael are reported to have offered up to 80 aircraft to the RAAF, with an upgraded Hornet being proposed along, with the Boeing F-22. The Sukhoi option is reported to be a mixed fleet of Su-35 and Su-32 although the company claims it has not been invited to tender. Even so, Rosvooruzhenie and Sukhoi do appear not to waiting to be asked and have been reported to be actively lobbying along with other producers, making a confidential offer of aircraft in 1998. Australia is rumoured to favour a heavy long-range fighter to provide cover in the interim for its F-111s, which its shorter range Hornets cannot currently do. This is seen by Russia to be in the Su-35"s favour. Minimising Australia"s dependence on Russia for the operation of the aircraft is seen as a key means of securing the order. To that end, Sukhoi is reported to have offered considerable potential offsets, including talks with Hawker De Havilland, on the production of composite wings. Sukhoi has stated that it would seek to develop any potential contract with Australia to meet its specification. The aircraft would also be built to the specification of the Australian authorities and it is believed that an offer of a purpose-built Su-35 and Su-32FN has been made, for hands-on testing, in order to persuade the Australians that Sukhoi offers a potent solution to their projected regional threats.

Article ID: 1324