Some earlier reports prior to MINDEF
announcement
Source: FT.com: Financial Times
Singapore delivers blow to Eurofighter
By Peter Spiegel in London
Published: April 21 2005 03:00 | Last updated: April 21 2005
03:00
The four-nation Eurofighter consortium was dealt a heavy blow last
week when Singapore's defence ministry told the group it had
uncovered problems that could prevent the government buying the
jet.
According to people familiar with the decision, Singapore has
stopped short of dropping Eurofighter from a three-way competition.
But it has raised detailed questions about the ability to fit
Singapore's advanced weapons on the jet, a stumbling block that may
make it impossible for Eurofighter to win.
Just over a year ago Eurofighter was selected by Singapore from a
group of six aircraft to compete for the order. Three jets,
including one made by Lockheed-Martin, were dropped at the time.
The other two aircraft that remain in the competition are the F-15
Eagle, built by Boeing of the US, and Rafale, made by France's
Dassault Aviation.
A winner is expected to be selected this summer, and the new
Eurofighter concerns make the F-15 and Rafale the favourites.
Although the potential order is relatively small - eight jets with
an option to buy 12 more - Singapore is considered a "reference
customer" that is closely watched by other nations since it has a
transparent and rigorous acquisition process. A win by Eurofighter
would have been a big boost for the programme, which has yet to
secure a customer outside Europe.
"This would have been a real breakthrough order," said Richard
Aboulafia, an aerospace consultant with the Washington-based Teal
Group. "Even though the numbers are small, it would have been a
powerful endorsement."
BAE Systems, one of three prime contractors building the jet and
the company responsible for marketing Eurofighter to Singapore, has
pushed hard to win in the city state, and the Royal Air Force has
helped, flying two RAF Eurofighters to Singapore last year.
Industry experts said the recent efforts were believed to have
significantly improved Eurofighter's chances, which originally were
seen as slim thanks to an equally-strong push by Boeing and the US
air force.
BAE declined to comment on its discussions with Singapore, and a
Singaporean defence official said her government was not speaking
publicly about the status of the competition.
Other industry officials said they believed the setback meant
Eurofighter had been dropped from the competition, but people
briefed on the talks said negotiations between Eurofighter and
Singapore were continuing in an attempt to resolve the
problems.
The setback in Singapore comes after the Greek government last year
backed away from a commitment to buy 60 Eurofighters, making 18
jets ordered by Austria the programme's only sales outside its four
home countries: Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy.
Such export orders are key to Eurofighter hopes of making the
programme profitable.
