The Quest for Relevant Air Power

GERMAN Air Force │ 195
With the upgrade programmes still under way, however, Operation
Allied Force was too “early” for the GAF. While ECR and reconnaissance
Tornados were ready for employment, the main bulk
of the German Tornado fleet was not, as it could not yet deliver
PGMs. 282 Even in the case of the Tornado ECR, ad hoc improvements,
such as the integration of night goggles, proved necessary. 283
Against the backdrop of Air Force Structure 6, it was decided to
reduce the Tornado fleet to 85 aircraft by 2013. 284 While the remaining
aircraft were planned to undergo further upgrades, the retired
airframes have become a cost-effective source of spare parts. 285
In the air defence role, German reunification offered the opportunity
of integrating an F-4F Phantom and an East German MiG-29
squadron into one wing. Combined, both aircraft types could
complement each other. 286 To remain relevant pending delivery of
the Eurofighter, however, the F-4F had to undergo significant upgrades.
By December 1996, 65 F-4F Phantom IIs had been delivered.
The most essential components of the retrofit included the
integration of the APG-65 radar and the integration of the AIM-
120 AMRAAM missile. 287
The MiG-29 was also considered an interim air defence aircraft.
Though it had excellent flying performance, particularly regarding
climb rate and manoeuvrability, it also had significant shortfalls
in avionics and communications. Moreover, the engines consumed
too much fuel for Western standards, significantly reducing
range, and the airframe had a very limited lifespan. 288 For these
reasons, the 1994 Defence White Book states that, beginning in
2002, the MiG-29 and the F-4F Phantom fleet would be replaced
by a modern fighter aircraft. 289 In 2003–4, the German MiG-29
aircraft were finally transferred to the Polish Air Force. 290
Through German participation in the quadrilateral Eurofighter
project, a European design has been envisaged for the replacement
of the F-4F fleet. Since the technical specifications had been
laid down during the Cold War with the ultimate aim of tackling
new capabilities of the Warsaw Pact air forces, the project faced
significant problems during the early 1990s. 291 The Eurofighter
(original designation Fighter Aircraft 90) was conceived in 1985
to be optimised for air superiority with a limited ground attack
capability. At the time, a 1995 in-service date was agreed upon,
and Germany and the UK planned to acquire 250 aircraft each. 292