The Quest for Relevant Air Power

POST–COLD WAR CHALLENGES │ 53
Courtesy Airbus Military; photo by S. Ramadier, Airbus Operations
A400M on its first flight. The A400M will significantly enhance European
intertheatre airlift capacities.
the European defence ministers involved in the A400M programme
commonly declared in July 2009 their intention to continue
the project. 254
Off the Shelf. An alternative to European aircraft programmes
is buying American or Russian. This option, however, has serious
industrial and political consequences, such as potential US market
domination, which are likely to widen the transatlantic air
power capability gap. Buying Russian is often incongruent with
common European defence interests, and supply of spare parts
might not meet Western reliability standards. 255 Nevertheless,
buying off the shelf has proved to be a cost-effective solution, particularly
for smaller European states. Moreover, instead of being
involved in long-lasting development programmes, these states
have been able to quickly react to urgent operational demands by
buying on the international market. Surveys of the 1980s indicated
that European co-development of aircraft might cost from
15 to 35 per cent more than hypothetical direct purchases from
US firms. 256 In the absence of a European aerospace industry,
however, US firms might have had little incentive to charge less
than monopoly prices. 257 Regarding the latest American combat
aircraft design, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), a new approach
has been embarked upon concerning foreign sales. The US government
offered international participation in the programme, allowing
foreign partners to participate in an advanced combat aircraft
programme at relatively low costs but as an unequal partner.
The leadership is clearly with the United States. 258
Leasing, Chartering, and Life Extension of Airframes. In the
face of severe delays in aircraft programmes, chartering or leasing