Mako: The shark-shaped approach into the light combat aircraft market
Athens, le 03 octobre 2000
Military planners in the air forces and procurement departments in the MoDs of many countries can only select between two alternatives: either they can look into a magnitude of existing, affordable but elderly designs of combat aircraft such as the F-16, Mirage 2000, MiG-29 etc. or they can just cast an eye on those fighters which are due to enter service within the next few years, like the Eurofighter ‚Typhoon', the Dassault Rafale or the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. Seemingly there is almost nothing for them on the market fitting into their mostly tight budgets and giving them the security to buy a weapon system with a substantially long and effective service-life. But in the nearer future these decision-makers will have a true alternative: Mako - a concept for a light combat aircraft/high performance trainer offered by the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS, Munich).
Based upon in-house surveys and assured by independent market studies, EADS is convinced that there will be a clear potential for 2.500 modern light fighters/advanced trainer aircraft between the years 2005 and 2025 within the accessible export market. "With the Mako concept we will have a real edge on the competitors", says Erwin Obermeier, Director Military Aircraft Series Production Programs. "This is due to the fact that the combat aircraft and high-end jet trainers now fielded will be at the far end of their life-cycle with almost no potential for economically viable upgrades, whilst the modern systems may be not available for some customers for either know-how or cost constraints. Mako will perfectly fill in that gap by offering state-of-the-art technologies, a versatile design, massive growth potential and a relatively humble price-tag."
Mako, named after a dangerous shark species, will be available as a family of two variants which are derived from the same basic design, airframe and propulsion system: a tandem-seat trainer version with derated engine and limited special-to-type equipment and without weapon delivery capability, and secondly a powerful single seater light combat aircraft with an advanced airborne radar, ECM suite, full-fledged avionics and mission equipment such as FLIR, advanced digital avionics, glass cockpit, and an air refuelling probe. Naturally, Mako will - in addition to an internally-mounted 27mm gun - be able to carry a broad variety of stores at the seven external stations, comprising air-to-air (e.g., AIM-9L, IRIS-T or ASRAAM, AMRAAM, FMRAAM, Mica), air-to-ground (ranging from Mk. 82 bombs, AGM-65 Maverick, anti-ship missiles to stand-off missiles of the Taurus class) armament, external fuel tanks, and a reconnaissance pod. The robust airframe with only limited alterations between the two variants is made from metal alloys and composite materials and shows remarkable stealthy features.
" We have already invested quite a lot of time, effort and money into this project" explains Obermeier. "Definition studies for the Mako family are under way and almost concluded, and the selection of main suppliers and partners is progressing. For example, we know through intense wind tunnel tests that the Mako will have an outstanding flight performance. Mako can cope with most of the forth-generation fighters in terms of specific excess power with the possibility of the three engine types examined by us - the Eurojet EJ200, the Snecma M88, and the GE F404/414 - , high-alpha manoeuvers and turn rates. And this will not only be underlined by the aircraft configuration, but also by the application of a Eurofighter-like integrated digital flight and engine control system", Obermeier said.
Both Mako versions will benefit from these performance data, which is obvious for the light combat aircraft, but also important for the trainer version due to the ease of transition of student pilots to their next-generation front-line fighters. Common features for the Mako family will also be a Health and Usage Monitoring System to check the aircraft conditions for easier maintenance and repair, the application of an on-board generated oxygen system (OBOGS) for the crew, and the installation of an auxiliary power unit (APU). Another aspect, typical for both Mako versions is the low procurement expenditure and - as important as the price-tag - the low cost of ownership.
Athens, October 2000
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