After 10 years Skyhawks saga about to come to an end

The decade-long saga of the Royal New Zealand Air Force's 17 mothballed Skyhawk fighter-bombers is about to come to an end when they will given away to museums, scrapped or sold as spare parts.

Cabinet is likely to be asked by the end of the month to approve a plan to scrap the aircraft or give them away after a sales pitch which lasted 10 years and failed to find a buyer.

The first of the air force's 20 Skyhawks, including two two-seater training aircraft, arrived in 1970 followed by more in 1984. Three crashed during training.

The Skyhawks have been on the market since 2001 when the Labour government took them out of commission and canned a deal to buy replacement F16 fighters from the United States. The maintenance bill over 10 years was $34 million.

In September 2005, then defence minister Mark Burton announced the Skyhawks and 17 Aermacchi jet trainers had been sold to an American company for $155 million but no deposit was paid and the deal looked like floundering.

Last year Defence Minister Wayne Mapp gave the buyer, Tactical Air Services (TAS), until Christmas to come up with a deposit but that deadline passed and nothing happened.

Last month Dr Mapp said they were looking at other options, including scrapping the Skyhawks for parts or giving some to museums.

Today, Dr Mapp confirmed the Government had "made decisions in principle about their disposal, as has been reported".

He said a formal process for their disposal was now being drawn up.

"When complete it will require Cabinet approval. I anticipate taking the plan to Cabinet before the end of this month," he told NZPA.

The disposal of the Aermacchis was a separate and more challenging process.

"It will require more time than the Skyhawk disposal."

Some approval is likely to be needed from the US State Department to scrap the Skyhawks because of the avionics which were fitted in an upgrade, but that may involve the destruction of the electronics under State Department supervision.

The Skyhawks were well-maintained and flown by the air force and highly valued by the Australian navy. A fleet of six Skyhawks was based at Nowra, near Sydney and they trained with Australian navy warships.

Australian defence officials said the Skyhawks were fast and well-flown by the New Zealand air force pilots. Because they were small they were considered ideal for training because they were more difficult to detect and for the warship's defence systems to lock on to.

Australia defence officials did not want the Labour government to scrap the aircraft because they were such a valuable training aircraft for the Australian navy but they refused to say that publicly, instead telling NZPA about 10 years ago it was the New Zealand government's decision and that decision would be respected.

The Skyhawks had been stored in protective sheeting for most of the last 10 years, but commentators say there was now virtually no demand for them as combat aircraft and little if any demand for them as training aircraft.

The Aermacchis were also proving difficult to sell. It is understood the Rolls Royce Viper engines fitted to the Aermacchis are no longer serviced by the manufacturers.

One, possibly two, of the Skyhawks could go to the Air Force Museum in Christchurch and another aviation museum in Ashburton said last month it would also be interested in one for static display.

The Skyhawks can all be refuelled in flight and carried up to 3700kg of rockets, bombs, missiles and cannon.

Technical details:-

Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas

Engine: Pratt and Whitney J-52 turbojet

Length: 12.5m

Wingspan: 8.38m

Speed: 1167kmh (maximum)

Range: 3240km
Ceiling: 15,000m


Source: 03 February 2011 – NZPA (www.space.com)

Photo: [xairforces.net]

(2.06.2011)