This fighter is a short-medium term necessity
The Navy already contemplates reforms in the Juan Carlos I and in Rota to operate the F-35B
03 Feb 2021 | Madrid
"The Spanish Navy has begun to study the implementation and entry into service process of the F-35B fighter jet - a version with short take-off and vertical landing capacity - from the US company Lockheed Martin. The arrival of this fifth-generation aircraft would force a series of reforms to be undertaken at the Rota naval base and the Juan Carlos I LHD to ensure operability and would also imply other challenges from the point of view of safety, maintenance and maintenance. personal.
It is well known that the F-35B is the only aircraft on the market to replace the veteran Harrier AV8B + of the Ninth Squadron. The Navy has not hidden its commitment to the F-35B for years and even manages a calendar. According to their plans, the Harriers will be in service until 2028, perhaps a little longer, so the new fighter should arrive around those dates. To do this, it will be necessary to launch the acquisition program in the next five or six years.
In a recent article in the General Navy Magazine, three lieutenants - Santiago Touriño, Pedro López and Richard José Pereira - delve into the implications of the purchase of this fighter, a project that would allow maintaining the projection capacity provided by the embarked fighter and attack aviation.
From a logistics point of view, a new hangar would be necessary for the ALIS (Automatic Logistics Information System) system and maintenance work, as well as a new simulation building with four FMS (Full Mission Simulator) cabins. Both would be at the Aircraft Flotilla (Floan) facility in Rota and would have to meet the program's strict safety requirements.
The LHD Juan Carlos I would also need adaptation works. In this case, the flight deck would have to be reinforced to avoid degradation due to high temperatures caused by engine exhaust gases in vertical intakes and to create space for the ALIS logistics system on board and for mission planning. The Navy would also have to update fuel pressure lines and power outlets for maintenance. All these works would be included in an action plan, if Spain finally bets on the F-35B.
Personnel and training
Staff training is the other key point of the program. To ensure a smooth transition with the Harrier, advance training of pilots and maintenance technicians on the F-35B systems is necessary. The initial number of personnel will depend on the number of aircraft that is planned to acquire, however, according to the current plans of the Navy, the initial nucleus would be composed of between four and six pilots and between twenty and thirty maintainers.
"This squad would have to remain in the squad for at least four to six years after completing their training in the F-35B systems. Later, new staff would be added, as the Harrier is decommissioned, until the completion of the number to be determined, according to the experience that other operators of this plane already have," the article details."
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