Civil agressor Flankers for the Netherlands?

[Bart]

Some sources you can mention and some you don't. My source got the info directly from the company.

[SquAdmin]

There are a few lines about these agressors on Alert5.com. Apparantly there's an article about them in the Financial Times now, saying the company is negatioting with the Icelandic authorities.

[wamovements]

And here it is: the Financial Times Article:

Iceland set to embrace war-game fliers
By Andrew Ward in Stockholm

Published: August 30 2010 21:00 | Last updated: August 30 2010 21:00

Gudmundur Petursson worked for years as a contractor for the US military at Keflavik airbase on the Reykjanes peninsula, south-west Iceland.

Now, he is waiting for a green light from the Icelandic government to start building a 15,000 sq metre hangar for a fleet of Russian-made fighter jets.

Mr Petursson, chief executive of FM Service, an Icelandic facility management company, is a cheerleader for plans by a private military training company to base up to 33 Sukhoi “flanker” jets at Keflavik for use by air forces worldwide as mock enemy in aerial war games.

“Most people around here are very positive about it because it will bring a lot of jobs and keep technological expertise here,” he said.

Iceland’s readiness to embrace ECA Program, the company involved in the plan, highlights its need for jobs and investment after a banking crisis shattered the country’s economy in 2008.

The Keflavik area was struggling before the crisis after the departure of the US air force in 2006 pushed up unemployment. The base closure ended 60 years of US presence at Keflavik and left Iceland, which has no armed forces of its own, without any permanent military protection.

Critics have portrayed ECA Program as a mysterious “private army” seeking to fill Iceland’s security vacuum.

But Melville ten Cate, the company’s Dutch co-founder, insists that there is nothing sinister about his plan to buy €1.2bn ($1.5bn, £983m) of warplanes from Belarus and bring them to Iceland. The aircraft will not be equipped to carry ammunition, allowing them to be licensed as commercial aircraft, and no military exercises will take place in Icelandic airspace, he says. “We couldn’t take out a pigeon unless it flew into the engine.”

ECA had previously targeted Goose Bay airbase in Canada as a potential home but turned to Iceland when negotiations with Canadian authorities broke down.

Detailed talks have been under way for more than a year over the lease of space at Keflavik and much of the certification needed to import the jets and associated ground equipment has been secured.

Support for the project is far from universal within the Icelandic government but officials say ECA is close to winning conditional approval. A few similar companies, such as Airborne Tactical Advantage Company of the US and Top Aces of Canada, offer a similar service using older Israeli, French and US jets. But, if all goes to plan, ECA’s will become by far the biggest and newest fleet of its kind. The aircraft are to be backed up by ground equipment, including radar and communications jamming technology and simulated surface-to-air missile systems, to create realistic training conditions.

Several defence industry officials contacted by the Financial Times are deeply sceptical of ECA’s business plan, given the cost of buying and maintaining fighter aircraft.

Mr ten Cate insists he can pull it off. He says most air forces use their aircraft to mimic the enemy – a waste of resources, he argues, that risks creating a false sense of security.

“With the cost per hour of flying fighter jets, you cannot afford to have guys boring holes in the sky not learning anything. Training should involve flying against different aircraft to your own, behaving like your enemy.”

SU-27s are an important part of Russian and Chinese air power but Mr ten Cate insists that ECA is not aiming to imitate either. “Russian fighter jets have been sold around the world so they are widely used,” he says. “We’re a generic enemy.”

A recruitment drive is under way for up to 45 qualified fighter pilots, as well as maintenance technicians. An advertisement was placed in an aviation trade publication last month offering pilots a salary of €160,000 a year – more than all but the most senior commercial airline pilots.

[Glidepath]

This talk about the 'enemy'.... should better call it 'adversary' or 'opponent'. A very common mistake (in the west).

If the company is truly set on 'generic, they ought to be flying a mixed fleet, including current types, but also 4th and 4+ gen. western types.
But it is rather unlikely they will ever get their hands on those. (US embargo etc.)

Come to think of it. Will the Russians (c.s.) really allow delivery of modern fast jets, avionics and engines to a western adversary training company?

[michel N]

Last year the Ukrainians sold 2 Flankers to a company in the US. Guess they will sell almost anything, in change for the right amount of dollars.....

[SquAdmin]

Belarussian Su-27's have also ended up in the US if I'm not mistaken. With money you can buy just about anything...

[Stratofreighter]

And more details have come to light at
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/de571c4e-b460 ... abdc0.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cold war base to be private ‘Top Gun’ school

By Andrew Ward in Stockholm

Published: August 30 2010 21:00 | Last updated: August 30 2010 21:00

ECA has agreed to buy up to 33 Sukhoi Su-27 fighters

Iceland’s Keflavik airbase, a bulwark of western security during the cold war, would be home to two squadrons of Russian-made fighter jets under plans being considered by Reykjavik.

The Icelandic government is in talks about renting the airbase to a private company that says it is buying up to €1.2bn ($1.5bn) of Sukhoi warplanes from Belarus for use as a mock enemy in military training exercises.

ECA Program says it has already signed up five air forces keen to test their pilots and jets against an aircraft most commonly flown by the Russian and Chinese militaries.

“We are the car rental service of the military training world,” said Melville ten Cate, ECA’s Dutch co-founder.

According to Mr ten Cate, ECA has agreed to buy 15 Sukhoi Su-27 “Flanker” jets from BelTechExport, a Belarusian arms export company, with the option of 18 more.

If completed, it would be the biggest sale of fighter aircraft to a private buyer and the first large-scale import of Russian-made warplanes into a Nato country.

Iceland’s government has so far taken ECA seriously – so much so that some of the end-user certificates needed to import the jets have already been issued, according to officials.

One official said the government was close to giving conditional approval to ECA. Reykjavik would consult Nato allies before a final go-ahead, he added.

Yet, much about the deal is shrouded in mystery and several defence industry officials have questioned its credibility – including some that Mr ten Cate says are involved.

BelTechExport denied knowledge of the deal on Monday, having previously confirmed it to the Financial Times.

An official at the Belarusian agency responsible for approving arms exports said he was not aware of it and Rosoboronexport, the Russian state arms exporter, denied involvement.

According to Mr ten Cate, the aircraft were originally made in Russia and will be “upgraded” in Belarus, with the first delivery in October.

He said financing was coming from investors in the Middle East and Asia and, possibly, a future initial public offering.

People at PwC, the professional services firm, and Hogan & Lovell, the US law firm, confirmed that ECA had been in contact about a potential flotation but said plans were at an early stage.

The proposals have already caused controversy in a country with no armed forces of its own. Critics portray ECA as a mysterious “private army” stepping into the security vacuum left when US forces vacated Keflavik in 2006.

Mr ten Cate said the jets would not be equipped to carry live ammunition and no training would take place in Icelandic airspace.

Additional reporting by Charles Clover

[SquAdmin]

Found this via Alert5.com:
http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/09 ... any-happy/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Iceland government shake up confirmed, Dutch war games company happy
Posted on02 September 2010. Tags: employment, government, Iceland, netherlands, Politics, war

An Icelandic cabinet meeting at the official presidential mansion of Bessastadir has ended and the reshuffle of the government is now official. One departing minister made his last official act to approve a Dutch application to bring old Russian fighter jets to Iceland for international war games.
The new cabinet has already started working, but the ceremonial change over of ministry keys will take place later this afternoon.

As previously speculated, the non-elected ministers Gylfi Magnusson and Ragna Arnadottir both leave the cabinet, along with Alfheidur Ingadottir and Kristjan Moller. Gudbjartur Hannesson and Ogmundur Jonasson enter the cabinet in their place. The new cabinet has 10 ministers instead of 12.

Gudbjartur Hannesson will control the two ministries currently responsible for health, social affairs and national insurance and Ogmundur Jonasson will take over the two ministries which cover justice, human rights, transport and communications. Arni Pall Arnason will move to the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir has already confirmed that more changes will come in the New Year – including merging ministries to match the number of ministers.

Finance Minister and head of the Left Green Movement, Steingrimur J. Sigfusson told RUV that the cabinet reshuffle strengthens the government coalition and shows that the government is not at all on its last legs.

Meanwhile, Kristjan Moller’s last act as Minister for Transport, Communications and Local Government was to grant permission for the Icelandic Civil Aviation Authority to begin preparations to licence the Dutch company ECA Program Limited to operate in Iceland. Government sources later stressed that this does not automatically mean that the project has been green-lighted to go ahead.

ECA’s controversial plan is to base a fleet of old Russian fighter jets at Keflavik which will be available for hire with pilots to act as enemy planes in military training.

Critics describe the idea as creating a private military in defenceless Iceland; but ECA insists that its planes will be entirely unarmed and unable to engage in any sort of real combat. Their purpose will be to provide the world’s air forces with different planes flown by different people to simulate a more realistic type of war training. The company also points out that just because its planes will have their base and support crews in Iceland, does not mean the war games will take place anywhere near the country.

The minister pointed out that the project will create 200 immediate jobs and 150 long-term highly skilled, highly paid positions in the region of Iceland suffering the worst unemployment.

[ehusmann]

I'm sorry to bring the sad news that the program has been canceled. :grumble

I get more and more interested who this mystery source is.... and why there is not a single other source claiming the same thing. On the contrary, today Dutch newspaper Het Parool has a large article about the company and its plans. It actually mentions that the company claims it has bought 15 Flankers already in 2009 and has an option on 18 more (they quote Melville ten Cate, who leads the company). It also mentions that Iceland has already signed the import papers.

So, if I read this article (again, in today's paper), I get the impression it is more alive than ever.

Erwin

[Piet Luijken]

Today large article in the dutch paper Parool with the above mentioned text.

[SquAdmin]

It actually mentions that the company claims it has bought 15 Flankers already in 2009 and has an option on 18 more (they quote Melville ten Cate, who leads the company).

Which makes me wonder... Where did they buy these? Where are those Flankers now?

Every day this story becomes more and more exciting

[Brian]

It actually mentions that the company claims it has bought 15 Flankers already in 2009 and has an option on 18 more (they quote Melville ten Cate, who leads the company).

Which makes me wonder... Where did they buy these? Where are those Flankers now?

Every day this story becomes more and more exciting

You can find all your answers here:

http://www.eca-program.com/index.php?op ... lor=energy" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They've will buy the aircraft from Belarus, and it will be a mix of Su-27's and Su-30's

[michel N]

But it is strange that BelTechExport denies it's involvement, as does Rosoboronexport? So where did they buy these Flankers, who is updating them? And if the first one is to be delivered in October, that is something that should be known by now.

It remains a strange story, if you ask me.... And I am curious how this will end. Hopefully with Flankers based in Iceland, but I still have doubts.

regards,

Michel

[Rockville]

Dutch Firm Plans ‘Top Gun’ School in Iceland

Dutchman Melville ten Cate and his company ECA Program want to convert a former US air force base in Iceland to a training ground where Western air forces can simulate dogfights with Russian jets.
ECA Program believes it has discovered a gap in the market because air forces would be able to go up against real ‘enemy’ jets instead of using their own planes or computer simulation programmes. At present, only the US has Sukhoi jet fighters (2) for training purposes.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Ten Cate says he has reached agreement with a company in Belarus on the purchase of 15 Sukhoi SU-27 jet fighters. The 1.2-billion-euro deal also includes an option on a further 18 jets and ground radars.
The planes will not be armed. According to Mr Ten Cate, “We couldn’t even bring down a pigeon unless it flew into the engine”.
The Icelandic transport ministry has approved his plans, but Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir says she wants to consult her country’s allies before granting her final approval.
In the meantime, ECA Program is continuing its search for ground personnel and 45 pilots.

FT, august 30th 2010

[DJdeRidder]

According to Mr ten Cate, the aircraft were originally made in Russia and will be “upgraded” in Belarus, with the first delivery in October.

Has anyone been at Keflavik recently to check out how many Flankers have already arrived since October? Or should we wait until April 1st until we hear more details?