Defence minister wants a decision made on the type of fighter plane the military will purchase, while maintenance of Denmark’s F-16s is costing millions each year

Defence Minister Søren Gade has done a 180 and is now demanding a quick decision on the purchase of new fighter planes is made before the summer, reports trade publication Ingeniøren.

In April of last year, Gade said the decision would likely be postponed at least until autumn 2010. But in a memo sent to members of the Defence Committee on Friday afternoon, Gade said he wanted a final decision made in the next few months on which aircraft the military would prefer to invest in.

‘This will allow the defence to begin contract negotiations on fighter aircraft,’ stated the memo.

The issue has proven to be a big headache for both Gade and for parliament, which must approve the final purchase but has been at odds over which plane is best suited for the military’s assignments.

Under former prime minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Denmark sunk billions into Lockheed Martin’s Joint Strike Fighter project, which many MPs have criticised as being too expensive. The project took a major hit on Monday, when the head of the project was fired by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates due to the project’s continual delays.

Other fighter jets that have been considered by the Danish military the Saab manufactured Gripen and the joint-EU project Eurofighter. US manufacturer Boeing also entered the field recently, guaranteeing 20 billion kroner in contracts to Danish companies if the military purchased its F-18 Superhornet.

Even if parliament decides to postpone delivery of the selected aircraft at least two years to 2018 – which would delay the contract signing until 2015 – Gade is now insisting that a decision on the type of plane must take place before the summer. This would not only allow the military to budget for the aircraft but would also be in the interests of Danish industries involved in the plane’s manufacture and maintenance.

‘The decision will give Danish industry the best opportunities to position themselves in relation to the preferred supplier and give the best opportunities to secure orders and access to advanced technology and advanced production methods,’ Gade argued in the memo.

Gade’s new demand for a pre-summer decision on the plane comes on the heels of a new Danish Defence report, which indicated that upkeep of the military’s current F-16 fighters now costs around 3 million kroner each year per plane – nearly 190 million kroner annually for the 48 operating aircraft.

The report also indicated that the planes could probably last another 10 years, but the already expensive maintenance costs are projected to sharply increase each year.

Estimates for the purchase of the replacement fighter have ranged widely, from between 20 billion and 144 billion – the last figure the most recent presented for the JSF.

Despite Gade’s desire for a quick decision, all four government opposition parties in parliament – the Social Democrats, the Socialist People’s Party, the Social Liberals and the Red-Green Alliance – have called for more research to be done and more information to be collected before any final decision on the matter is made.