Spanish Navy to buy five second-hand Harriers: bargain or scrap?
Spain's Navy is acquiring five 1981 Harrier AV-8B jets to be cannibalized for parts. Between a logistics win and military scrap, the debate over their usefulness is wide open.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Spanish Navy buys five 1981 Harriers: spare parts or scrap?
The Spanish Navy has sealed the purchase of five Harrier AV-8B jets built in 1981. The deal, presented as the acquisition of material to be cannibalized for spare parts in order to keep Spain's domestic defense industry running, has drawn skepticism from analysts who compare it to buying military scrap.
The aircraft, more than forty years old, would be used as a parts source for the existing fleet, a common practice in defense but one that critics here dismiss with "they do with planes what they do with trains", a jab at Renfe's policies. The age of the material and the fact that it is being bought as scrap to cannibalize fuel the debate over whether this is a smart solution or a textbook stopgap.
On the other hand, some argue that old does not miccionan useless: the AK-47 remains a benchmark, and in this case the Harrier, despite its age, could extend the fleet's operational life at low cost. The question is whether these five aircraft will ever fly again or simply rust away in a hangar.
If the plan works, Spain buys time until a generational replacement arrives. If not, military history will add another chapter of aircraft that fly more in hangars than in the air.
Related discussions in the forum
The Spanish Navy has sealed the purchase of five Harrier AV-8B jets built in 1981. The deal, presented as the acquisition of material to be cannibalized for spare parts in order to keep Spain's domestic defense industry running, has drawn skepticism from analysts who compare it to buying military scrap.
The aircraft, more than forty years old, would be used as a parts source for the existing fleet, a common practice in defense but one that critics here dismiss with "they do with planes what they do with trains", a jab at Renfe's policies. The age of the material and the fact that it is being bought as scrap to cannibalize fuel the debate over whether this is a smart solution or a textbook stopgap.
On the other hand, some argue that old does not miccionan useless: the AK-47 remains a benchmark, and in this case the Harrier, despite its age, could extend the fleet's operational life at low cost. The question is whether these five aircraft will ever fly again or simply rust away in a hangar.
If the plan works, Spain buys time until a generational replacement arrives. If not, military history will add another chapter of aircraft that fly more in hangars than in the air.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (67 replies).
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