assemble

In 1982, during the Falklands War, the British had to modify and move several Harriers were hurriedly shipped to the South Atlantic. Some arrived at the area of ​​operations transported on adapted merchant ships and were prepared for combat during deployment, an example of the extent to which this aircraft has always been associated with logistical solutions. unconventional. An emergency solution. The Spanish Navy faces a countdown that has been conditioning its future for years. Maintaining aviation on board the Juan Carlos I is considered an essential strategic capability, but the problem is that the Harriers that make it possible are reaching the limit. end of useful life and the natural relief, the F-35B, continues out of plans of government procurement. Faced with this situation, Defense has opted for a formula as pragmatic as it is unique: prolonging the life of current aircraft until 2032 through a massive reserve of spare parts coming from the last American Harriers that are being retired from service. Harrier Av 8b The Harriers arrive, but not to fly. The operation has something of a logistical paradox. Spain is going to receive five AV-8B Harrier complete from the United States, but none of them are destined to join the flight line. Its mission will be much less visible and perhaps more important: to become a gigantic reserve of components. Although initially it was studied to take advantage of the transatlantic voyage of the Juan Carlos I to transport them, finally the devices will be dismantled at origin and sent to Spain andn separate packages. They will arrive practically as a kit of parts to assemble from the famous Swedish furniture store, although in this case ready to be cannibalized in Rota and keep the fighters of the 9th Squadron operational for the next few years. While others advance, Spain stretches the calendar. The decision reflects the particular situation in which the Navy has been left. USA will officially retire its Harriers this year and Italy plans to do the same before the end of the decade, both replacing them with the F-35B, the only real heir to the short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities of the veteran British-American aircraft. Spain, on the other hand, is preparing to become the last relevant operator of the model. The refusal to buy The F-35 has forced additional time to be sought for a fleet that should have begun its transition to a more modern successor years ago. The Spanish industry gains prominence. This scenario is also driving an unusual industrial effort. The Navy and Airbus have extended contracts maintenance of the Harriers and significantly increased the work hours dedicated to inspections, repairs and recovery of components. The objective is not only to maintain the current aircraft, but to develop in Spain a technical capacity capable of sustain a fleet increasingly scarce in the world. The fewer operators left, the greater the importance of having knowledge, tools and own spare parts to continue maintaining the devices in flying condition. The price of postponing the decision. All this effort has a very specific objective: to prevent Spain from losing its ability to operate aircraft combat from the sea before having an alternative. However, it also shows the provisional nature of the solution. The American Harriers that will cross the Atlantic will not do so to reinforce the Spanish embarked air force, but to feed the specimens that are already in service. If you like, it is a quite revealing image of the current moment: while other allies replace their old planes with a new generationSpain tries to gain a few more years by assembling the Marines’ latest Harriers and transforming them into a floating parts warehouse. In a way, the negative to buy the F-35 has led to an agreement as peculiar as it is symbolic: receiving the fighters retired from the United States disassembled… ready to assemble, disassemble and reuse as the survival of the fleet demands. Image | RawPixel, Michael Pereckas In Xataka | The US opted for the quality of the F-35 rather than quantity. China opted for the opposite and it is already a problem In Xataka | Europe has asked its military experts how to become independent from the US for the next war. The answer is déjà vu: the F-35