For the time being, the Navy will have to forego flights with their "Sea Lynx" helicopters. Reason are technical problems. This is clear from a letter from Peter Tauber (CDU), Parliamentary Secretary of State in the Ministry of Defense. The letter is available to SPIEGEL.
In the letter, Tauber informs the members of the Defense Committee that an increase in metallic deposits in engine oil has been detected during inspections. This could in the worst case lead to a failure of the engine during the flight.
At present it can not be ascertained with sufficient certainty which engines are affected, according to the letter. For safety reasons, the flight operations were "suspended for the time being". This is to exclude "any danger to humans and material". The cause of the problems is, according to the letter, a component that "does not meet the specifications and thus produces a higher level of metallic abrasion". The industry was instructed to eliminate the defect as quickly as possible.
Operational readiness restricted
The "Sea Lynx" should actually be used for the fight against submarines. However, according to the letter, there are currently no such missions, as well as "Search and Rescue" missions. Therefore, the normal operation is not affected.
The problems with the "Sea Lynx" helicopters are the most recent breakdown in a long series. For many years, the Bundeswehr has difficulties with weapons systems. Recently, a report from the Department of Defense showed where the weak points lie:
- Thus, in 2019 of 93 "Tornado" fighter jets only 20 were able to fly.
- Of the 31 A400M transport aircraft, only eight were able to fly.
- And of the 284 "Puma" armored vehicles, only 67 were ready.
Read more about the Bundeswehr rehabilitation case here.
