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Germany to replace aging fleet of beleaguered government planes

  • February 01, 2019

On Friday, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen announced that the Ministry of Defense will be replacing its aging long-range government planes. She said the first plane would be ordered this year, with two more to follow. Germany currently has two long-range planes for government officials.

Speaking in the eastern city of Dresden, von der Leyen said, “We have to, I think everyone can see that.”

‘Made in Germany’

In the past four months planes from Germany’s Special Air Mission, which shuttles officials to meetings around the world, have been grounded no less than six times. The most embarrassing delay came in December, when Chancellor Angela Merkel missed the opening ceremony of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires due to technical problems. The chancellor, who was forced to land in Cologne, flew to Argentina the following day on a commercial flight.

Others that have been stranded include President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz and Development Minister Gerd Müller. Steinmeier, who was unable to fly home from Ethiopia this week, has suffered the fate three times since November.

Müller was especially vocal about the problem, complaining that such embarrassing breakdowns were ruining Germany’s reputation as a high-tech nation, he said they were damaging the “Made in Germany” brand.

  • German Chancellor Angela Merkel's plane at Cologne/Bonn airport (picture-alliance/dpa/O. Berg)

    Grounded: Problems with Germany’s government planes

    Late to G20 summit

    While en route to a G20 summit in Buenos Aires in November, the A340-300 “Konrad Adenauer” carrying German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz had to make an unexpected landing at the Cologne/Bonn Airport. Merkel showed up late to the conference in the Argentinian capital.

  • German Finace Minister Olaf Scholz at the IMF conference in Bali, Indonesia (Imago/photothek)

    Grounded: Problems with Germany’s government planes

    Rodents? You’re kidding right?

    It was the second consecutive month in which the “Konrad Adenauer” needed to be grounded. The A340 also left Scholz stranded in Indonesia following a meeting of the International Monetary Fund in October after rodents gnawed through electric cables.

  • Frank-Walter Steinmeier exiting the Theodor Heuss Airbus (picture-alliance/dpa/B. von Jutrczenka)

    Grounded: Problems with Germany’s government planes

    Trouble in Africa

    The “Konrad Adenauer” isn’t the only Airbus belonging to the German government that has experienced problems. The A340 “Theodor Heuss” jet carrying German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier experienced technical problems during his trip to several countries in Africa.

  • Frank-Walter Steimeier enters the Konrad Adenauer Airbus in Berlin (picture-alliance/dpa/J. Carstensen)

    Grounded: Problems with Germany’s government planes

    Tell them I’ll be late

    Steinmeier also had his fair share of woes with the “Konrad Adenauer” jet. The German president’s trip to Belarus in June was delayed due to problems with the plane’s hydraulic system.

  • German Development Minister Gerd Mueller CSU with a gentleman of the ground personnel at Kamuzu International Airport (imago/U. Grabowsky)

    Grounded: Problems with Germany’s government planes

    Pressure starts to tell

    German Development Minister Gerd Müller’s schedule was thrown into chaos when he was forced to cancel a visit to Namibia — because of plane trouble. Müller was scheduled to depart Malawi when his Bombardier Global 5000 was unable to take off due to a defective pressure valve. He was eventually able to continue on to Zambia on a commercial flight.

  • German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his delegation awaiting plane repairs in Ethiopia (picture-alliance/dpa/B. Pedersen)

    Grounded: Problems with Germany’s government planes

    I hear it’s snowing at home

    German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was grounded in Ethiopia yet again when the “Theodore Heuss” was unable to embark on its return flight due to an air pressure problem. The delay would seem to put Steinmeier ahead of Olaf Scholz for the title of German official most often stranded due to technical problems.

    Author: Davis VanOpdorp


Aging equipment

The Ministry of Defense now plans to purchase three new Airbus A350 planes directly from the manufacturer. The price tag for an A350 is about €180 million ($157 million). The special outfitting required for government planes — including sleeping quarters, a conference room, a security system and communications equipment — add roughly €100 million more.

Though the first plane will be ordered immediately, it may be 2022 before it can be put into use. 

The Special Air Mission’s two long-range Airbus A340 jets, the “Konrad Adenauer” and “Theodor Heuss,” are almost 20 years old. Speaking in Dresden, von der Leyen said: “Ultimately, there comes a point when no matter how well you maintain equipment, you are confronted with material limitations due to aging. The Cabinet is generally in agreement, and we are working hard to get these new planes.”

The German Air Force says that it currently operates 14 Airbus and Bombardier planes for short-, middle-, and long-range flights. An Air Force spokesman defended the branch’s record, saying: “Over the past two years we have cancelled 18 of 1,600 government flights. So we are under 2 percent.”

  • Ein Eurofighter der Bundeswehr hebt ab (Foto: dpa)

    Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment

    Manufacturing fault

    The Eurofighter is the German military’s most modern fighter jet. As a result of a manufacturing error, the 16-meter-long plane’s flight hours have been cut from 3,000 to 1,500. The Defense Ministry says the manufacturing error has no consequences for the Eurofighter’s deployment.

  • Bundeswehrmitarbeiter warten Jagdflugzeuge des Typs Tornado (Foto: dpa)

    Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment

    Very advanced … in years

    Tornado fighters have been flying for 40 years. Currently, only 38 of Germany’s 89 fighters are operational. The Transall C-160 planes suffer from a similar fate: only 25 of the existing 57 transport planes, developed in the 1960s, are combat ready. The Transall’s successor Airbus A400M has been delayed for years.

  • Mechaniker arbeiten auf dem Fliegerhorst in Kiel-Holtenau (Schleswig-Holstein) an defekten Marine-Hubschraubern vom Typ Sea King. (Foto: dpa)

    Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment

    Defective helicopters

    The Bundeswehr’s fleet of helicopters is also hard-hit. Only ten of the 31 modern Tiger combat helicopters are operational, and only four of 22 Sea Lynx anti-submarine helicopters are airworthy. The NH90 and CH53 transport copters have similar deficiency rates.

  • Ein Bundeswehrsoldat repariert einen Panzer vom Typ Marder (Foto: getty)

    Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment

    Not making any tracks

    Only 70 of the 189 Boxer transport tanks are currently available for training or operation purposes. In case of an emergency, the Bundeswehr could deploy about half of the 406 Marder armored personnel carriers. The track vehicle was launched in 1971.

  • Eine Korvette vom Typ K130 liegt vor der Werft Fr. Lürssen in Lemwerder (Foto:dpa)

    Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment

    Glitches at sea

    In December 2001, the Bundeswehr decided to purchase five K130 corvettes, scheduled to be operational in 2007. Faulty gear drives, air conditioning and software were to blame for a lengthy delay. Even after the warships were launched, only two were immediately operational.

  • Bundesverteidigungsministerin Ursula von der Leyen steht auf einem Flugplatz der NATO in Hohn (Foto: reuters)

    Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment

    Consequences for von der Leyen?

    The defense equipment issue is the first major crisis Ursula von der Leyen faces since taking over the defense portfolio at the end of 2013. Her predecessors are to blame, however, for cutting costs for spare parts. Von der Leyen refers to a “phase of drastic change” in the airplane sector and “shortages” due to repairs.

    Author: Sven Pöhle / db


Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-replace-aging-fleet-of-beleaguered-government-planes/a-47330256

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