Another delay in the decision over which planes will replace the military’s F-16 fighter jets does not overly concern the defence minister

Defence Minister Søren Gade said Wednesday that he is planning for the military purchasing between 25 and 35 new fighter jets once a decision is made about which planes to buy.

Gade had wanted a political decision made by the summer, but he now concedes that the soonest an agreement can be reached would be the start of 2010.

He had previously postponed putting the issue before MPs in April, saying at the time he wanted to concentrate on drafting the national defence plan.

‘The most important thing is that we make the right decision, so we’ll just have to live with these delays. I certainly wouldn’t want to be the one who makes the wrong decision over purchasing fighter jets,’ Gade said.

Top candidates to replace the military’s existing F-16 fighters are Saab’s Gripen, Lockheed Martin’s Joint Strike Fighter, Boeing’s Super Hornet and the European joint project Eurofighter.

Gade himself said he did not have a favourite yet amongst the fighter jet candidates. Whichever plane is chosen, however, the military has estimated the purchase will eventually cost at least 100 billion kroner.

A committee set up in 2007 within the Danish Defence Command has been responsible for evaluating the different models.

But this past February it was reported that the current F-16s still have a considerable number of air miles left in their lifespans. Many politicians have since preferred that the military continue to use the planes as long as possible before the state has to part with such a substantial amount of money.

And although dragging out the decision process has the possible advantage of coaxing manufacturers into lowering the price in an effort to get the military to pull the shopper’s trigger, it is also delaying the many new jobs that would go to companies involved with the manufacture, operation and maintenance of the new planes.

‘Companies are butting in front of one another to proclaim the number of jobs an eventual agreement would bring,’ said Gade. ‘So the sooner we decide the sooner we create those jobs.’