Oman Buying F-16s to Replace Its Jaguar Jets
Apr 26, 2012 14:04 EDT
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Oman is located on the eastern Arabian peninsula next to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and across from Persia. It remains a very strategic country, controlling the Strait of Hormuz’ western bank, and providing an overwatch position for both the entrance to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean near Africa. The Royal Air Force of Oman (al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Sultanat Oman) currently flies 12 F-16 Block 50 fighters: 8 F-16Cs and 4 F-16Ds, whose delivery began in 2005. They complement the RAFO’s 18 Jaguar strike aircraft, and 11 single-seat subsonic Hawk 203 light fighters. Sultan Qaboos’ air force is looking to replace its aging Jaguars, and has made inquiries about buying 4+ generation fighters like Eurofighters or even JAS-39 Gripens for this purpose.
A formal DSCA request for 18 more F-16s raised the possibility of a different approach, and that has now become a firm contract. But BAE has subsequently received an RFP for its Eurofighter, too…
The Sultanate of Oman’s History, and its Fighter Fleet
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Oman (pron. Uman) is located on the eastern Arabian peninsula next to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and across from Persia. It has historically been a multi-ethnic society, and its combination of a bleak interior and near-coast mountains have served as a formidable barrier for would-be conquerors. The moderate Omani Ibadi form of Islam has been one result. An outward looking focus, and long history of trade, also followed.
In the 1640s, an alliance between the Al-Yaribi tribe and Britain defeated the Portuguese, who had controlled Muscat. Afterward, it led to an Omani empire stretching to Zanzibar and beyond, and across the strait as far east as the port of Gwadur (now Pakistan’s Gwadar). The end of the slave trade collapsed that empire, but Oman found a new resource: geography.
Even in its collapsed state, Oman still controlled the western Musandam Peninsula of the Strait of Hormuz, and lay across the Persian Gulf’s sea approaches. Britain, once an ally, became more of a full guarantor. The critical telegraph cable from Britain to India landed in Oman. Which is how British troops stationed at its landing point “around the bend” of the Musandam, on the utterly desolate Jazirat al Maqlab island, gave the English language a new slang phrase for madness. Relations with Britain remained close through windfalls of oil and gas bonanzas. Not to mention a significant Marxist insurgency, whose relatively unheralded defeats offer interesting lessons in multinational counterinsurgency.
Sultan Qaboos’ country remains strategically important, and official political and military relations with America and Britain are close. The Strait of Hormuz remains important to Oman’s military preparations, but the nation has also played a quietly useful role in counter-piracy activities around the western Indian Ocean and Horn of Africa. Iran is regarded very warily, but without overt hostility. Unofficially, Oman’s location makes it the embarkation point for many of the smuggled foreign civilian trade goods, foodstuffs, etc. that make up Iran’s internal black market.
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The al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Sultanat Oman (RAFO) currently has 3 full fighter squadrons. RAFO 10 squadron finished its conversion from Jaguar strike aircraft to F-16C/D Block 50/52+ fighters in 2006, but 8 sq and 20 sq continue to operate the old Jaguars, as this extreme low-level flight video shows. The fighters are formally based at Thumrayt in the southwest, near the border with Yemen and away from the entrance to the Gulf. With that said, they have been known to operate from Seeb air base in the northeast, near the capital of Muscat.
Masirah air base on Oman’s central coast houses RAFO 6 squadron’s mixed set of Hawk 203 light fighter fleet and Hawk 103 jet trainers, as well as other squadrons of primary and basic trainer aircraft, and some of Oman’s Super Lynx search-and-rescue helicopters.
Oman has begun building the new Adam air base, about 100 miles SW of Muscat within Oman’s interior, and shielded from the Gulf approaches by a spine of mountains. It’s an excellently protected location that would still allow strong air patrols along Oman’s north and the Straits, and it is widely believed that at least some of the Jaguars’ successor aircraft will be housed there.
Contracts & Key Events
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The AIDEWS systems are being bought for new RAFO F-16 C/Ds, and work will be performed in Clifton, NJ until Dec 31/14. The Warner Robins Air Logistics Cente at Robins AFB, GA manages the contract (FA8540-12-C-0014).
March 14/12: Radars. Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems in Linthicum Heights, MD receives an $87.8 million dollar firm-fixed-price Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program contract, to provide 43 AN/APG-68v9 radar systems to the Republic of Iraq (22), the Royal Air Force of Oman (15), and the Royal Thai Air Force (6).
The AN/APG-68v9 is the standard radar for new F-16C/D aircraft. Northrop Grumman cites a 33% increase in air-to-air detection range over earlier versions, plus ground-looking synthetic aperture radar with mapping and 2-foot point target response. They also claim that the radar’s reduced weight, power, and cooling help contribute to 25%-45% lower support costs, though their baseline comparison for those costs isn’t clear.
In Oman’s case, the radars would equip its 12 ordered F-16s, and provide 3 spares. Work will be performed in Linthicum Heights, MD, and is expected to be complete by March 3/15. The ASC/WWMK at Wright Patterson AFB, OH manages this contract (FA8615-12-C-6047).
Jan 23/12: Typhoon RFP. Dow Jones reports that:
“BAE Systems PLC (BA.LN) shares rose Monday after the government of Oman requested a more detailed proposal from the defense giant for the Eurofighter Typhoon…. The Omani government issued a “Request For Proposal” to BAE Systems, the prime bidder on behalf of the Eurofighter consortium…. BAE Systems will now start more detailed talks for the supply and support of the Typhoon fighter aircraft for the Royal Air Force of Oman, which could lead to a final order for 12 Typhoon aircraft, a company spokeswoman said. “This news underpins the long-standing defence and security relationship between Oman and the United Kingdom and between the armed forces in Oman and BAE Systems, a major supplier of equipment and services to the sultanate,”.... BAE declined to comment on the potential value of the deal as negotiations will now include likely talks about the level of in-service support and potential investment in the country, known as offset.”
Dec 14/11: Lockheed Martin Corp. in Fort Worth, TX receives a $600 million dollar firm-fixed-price, time-and-material and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide the government of Oman with 12 more F-16C/D Block 50s, which will give the RAFO a total of 24: 18 F-16Cs and 6 F-16Ds. The contract also covers support equipment; technical orders; and integrated logistics support – but not expensive items like GE’s F110 engines, Northrop Grumman’s APG-68v9 radar, etc., which must be bought and supported separately.
Work will be performed in Fort Worth, TX until Nov 30/16. This was a sole-source acquisition, and is being managed by the ASC/WWMK at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH on behalf of their Foreign Military Sale client (FA8615-12-C-6011).
The Aug 13/10 DSCA request covered up to 18 fighters, and Oman could still order the other 6 if it chooses. When coupled with Iraq’s order of 18 F-16IQ Block 52s and ongoing requests for more, and a rumored UAE buy of more F-16E/F Block 60s, Middle Eastern sales appear to be taking a lead role in extending the F-16 production line past 2013.
F-16 order
Aug 13/10: Both? Jane’s reports that Oman is likely to buy both new F-16s and the Eurofighter, a move that would significantly expand the RAFO’s overall fighter strength.
Aug 3/10: F-16 request. The US DSCA announces [PDF] Oman’s formal request to upgrade its existing F-16 fleet, and buy 18 F-16 Block 50/52 aircraft and associated equipment, parts, training and support for an estimated cost of up to $3.5 billion. Items requested include:
- 18 Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 50/52 aircraft
- 20 Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 or GE F110-GE-129 Increased Performance Engines (current RAFO F-16s use F110s)
- 24 Northrop Grumman AN/APG-68v9 radar sets
- 20 General Dynamics ATP M61 20mm Vulcan Cannons
- Conformal fuel tanks (CFT), number unspecified
- 36 LAU-129/A Common Rail Launchers
- 36 LAU-117 MAVERICK missile launchers
- Cartridge Actuated Devices/Propellant Actuated Devices (CAD/PAD), number unspecified
- 22 AN/ARC-238 Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio Systems with HAVE QUICK I/II
- 22 ITT AN/ALQ-211 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suites (AIDEWS) or Raytheon’s Advanced Countermeasures Electronic Systems (ACES) with the ALQ-187 electronic warfare system and ALR-93 radar warning receiver
- 22 AN/ALE-47 Countermeasures Dispensing Systems (CMDS)
- 18 Lockheed Martin AN/AAQ-33 SNIPER surveillance and targeting pods, “or similarly capable system”
- 4 Goodrich DB-110 Reconnaissance Pods (RECCE)
- 40 VSI/Boeing Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems
- Advanced Identification Friend or Foe (AIFF) Systems with Mode IV
- 34 Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Embedded-GPS/Inertial Navigation Systems (INS)
- 35 of Raytheon’s ALE-50 Towed Decoys
- Ground based flight simulator
- Existing fleet upgrades and modification kits
- Site survey and construction.
- Support equipment
- Tanker support and ferry services
- Repair and return, spares and repair parts, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, and other forms of U.S. Government and contractor support
The numbers of some of these items suggest their use as general fleet upgrades, as opposed to merely being equipment that comes with the new fighters. The number of JHMCS helmets, for instance, is almost certainly a fleet-wide buy. The principal contractors could include:
- BAE Advanced Systems Greenlawn, NY
- Boeing Company Seattle, WA
- Boeing Integrated Defense Systems in St Louis, MO; Long Beach, CA; and San Diego, CA
- Raytheon Company in Lexington, MA and Goleta, CA
- Raytheon Missile Systems Tucson, AZ
- Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth, TX
- Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control in Dallas, TX
- Lockheed Martin Simulation, Training and Support in Fort Worth, TX
- Northrop-Grumman Electro-Optical Systems in Garland, TX
- Northrop-Grumman Electronic Systems in Baltimore, MD
- Pratt & Whitney United Technology Company in East Hartford, CT
- General Electric Aircraft Engines in Cincinnati, OH
- Goodrich ISR Systems in Danbury, CT
- L3 Communications Arlington, TX
- ITT Defense Electronics and Services in McLean, VA
- Symetrics Industries in Melbourne, FL
Implementation of this proposed sale will require multiple trips to Oman involving U.S. Government and contractor representatives for technical reviews/support, program management, and training over a period of 15 years.
Note that DSCA requests are not contracts, simply a necessary stage for clearance to buy items designated as military equipment under US laws. It is not yet clear whether the Sultanate simply wants to the F-16 to be a Jaguar replacement contender, while providing for existing fleet upgrades; or whether a decision has been made to replace the Jaguars with additional F-16s, instead of more advanced aircraft like the Gripen and Eurofighter.
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April 2/10: Britain’s BBC News reports that the Sultan of Oman has confirmed the country’s intention to buy the Eurofighter. What’s new is the official source of the confirmation.
This is not an order, and neither numbers nor costs were mentioned in the report. With Eurofighter Tranche 3A already ordered as Britain’s final Eurofighter purchase, the question of whether Oman’s order would be filled by redirected British aircraft also remains unresolved. Britain cut its Tranche 3 order for full capability aircraft from 88 to just 40, but looming budget issues could still force the country to give up some of its existing and ordered planes. A full defense review is expected in 2010-2011.
May 10/09: The Financial Mail reports that BAE Systems is close to winning an order worth up to GBP 1.6 billion to sell some 24 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft to Oman. The aircraft are expected to be relayed through Britain, redirecting part of that country’s Tranche 3 order for 88 aircraft.
Feb 10/09: Rafale, en garde! France enters the fray with an offer to sell Oman Dassault’s Rafale fighter instead. The offer was reportedly made by visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy during a meeting and dinner on Tuesday with Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Report.
Nov 13/08: Britain’s Financial Times reports that BAE Systems is in direct talks with the Omani government to sell them up to 24 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. The deal’s rumored value is GBP 1.4 billion (then about $2.08 billion), which is slightly low but not wildly out of line with past Eurofighter purchases. That move would complete the RAFO’s fighter recapitalization, offering it an air fleet that could operate within the Gulf Cooperation Council alongside Bahraini and UAE F-16s, and forthcoming Saudi Eurofighters, while remaining relevant and competitive for many years to come. Financial Times | Agence France Presse.
Aug 4/05: 1st F-16. Lockheed Martin holds a ceremony at its Fort Worth, TX facility to deliver the first F-16 aircraft to the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO). This F-16D was accepted by the U.S. government (as the agent for Oman in the FMS process) on July 19/05, one month ahead of schedule.
The first single-seat F-16C version will fly in August 2005, and be accepted in September 2005. These 2 aircraft will be ferried to Oman in mid-October to support the 35th National Day celebrations on Nov 18/05, Sultan Qaboos’ birthday. The remainder of the aircraft will be ferried to Oman during 2006.
May 2002: F-16 order. The Sultanate of Oman signs an agreement with the U.S. government to purchase 12 Advanced Block 50 F-16s in the Peace A’sama A’safiya (Clear Skies) Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The agreement includes 8 single-seat F-16Cs and 4 two-seat F-16Ds, powered by the General Electric F110-GE-129 engine. These jets are slated to complement, not replace, Oman’s Jaguars.
Oman will become the 5th Arab nation (Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, UAE) and the 3rd member of the Gulf Cooperation Council to acquire the F-16.
