Madrid-By the end of this decade, the Spanish Air Force will replace its half-century-old fighter trainer with data-centric aircraft to train its pilots to fly fifth and sixth generation jets. Even if the contract has not yet been signed, Airbus is ready to begin construction.
The Spanish subsidiary of the aerospace company demonstrated its advanced fighter trainer concept at the biennial FEINDEF conference in Madrid, Spain last week. If selected, AFJT will replace the Spanish Air Force’s Northrop F-5M and CASA C-101 Aviojet aircraft, which are ready for pilots to fly the EF-18A Hornet and Eurofighter Typhoon.
AFJT is a new design based on the combat requirements of the Spanish Air Force. The company's project leader Abel Nin told the National Defense News on Friday in the gap of FEINDEF.
Currently, the design size of this aircraft is approximately 46 feet from nose to tail, with a wingspan of nearly 33 feet. According to Airbus, the metal fuselage is resistant to damage, corrosion and easy to repair.
Ning predicts that the prototype will be able to fly four years after the program is officially launched. Although the Air Force plans to purchase at least 20 European Typhoon fighter jets to replace its oldest EF-18A, it may choose to purchase more Typhoon or Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to replace its complete Hornet. team.
Nin said that AFJT will be able to train pilots to fly EF-18A, Typhoon, F-35 and the sixth-generation fighter aircraft of the future combat aviation system.
Nin said that the proposed integrated coaching system will use real-time virtual construction technology, and Indra is working with Airbus to develop a simulator.
Although Madrid is the main potential customer of Airbus, AFJT can serve other countries. Representatives of the Mexican Air Force participated in a panel discussion held at FEINDEF on Friday, and company officials had previously emphasized that France and Finland are possible customers.
"The main purpose here is to start the project," Ning said.
The Spanish Air Force submitted the operating requirements documents for the new jet trainer in 2020, said Lieutenant Colonel Jesus Gutierrez Gallego, who worked with the service project planning department. He told National Defense News that the service does not recommend specific suppliers, and it is now up to the Ministry of Defense to review and decide whether Airbus will receive the contract.
He said: "We need to get it before the current system starts to sunset."
Air Force officials stated that the F-5M is expected to begin retirement between 2027 and 2030.
Officials from the Ministry of Defense who attended the meeting could not say when a decision can be made on the trainer contract, nor did they say whether any other company has submitted a proposal to replace the F-5M.
The F-5M has been in service for more than 50 years. Lieutenant Colonel Miguel Angel Marazuela Martinez (Miguel Angel Marazuela Martinez) said that he was the 23rd Guidance and Attack Wing of the Royal Air Force Base Talavera. The head of the team.
"The [training] system we currently have is very reliable and has been developed for many, many years, but we have to help it," he said in a panel discussion. "We will do this with this new aircraft."
Marazuela Martinez said the service also invests in advanced technologies, including biometrics, artificial intelligence and data fusion, to train its pilots more accurately.
He added that helmets equipped with cutting-edge sensors and biometric watches will help teachers define “what is the best learning curve for each student in a personalized way”.
Vivienne Machi is a journalist based in Stuttgart, Germany, and contributes to the European coverage of Defence News. She has previously reported for National Defense Magazine, National Defense Daily, Via Satellite, Foreign Policy, and Dayton Daily News. She was named the best young defense journalist at the 2020 National Defense Media Awards.