The outbreak of the US/Israeli-Iran war has showcased the dismal state of Austria’s military, as the army’s large transport planes, usually used for mass evacuations of citizens from crisis areas, were all grounded due to maintenance issues.
Around 17,700 Austrian citizens were left stranded in the Middle East – primarily in the United Arab Emirates but also in Qatar and other countries – after the US and Israel launched their attacks on the Islamist theocracy on February 28. As the airspace remained closed for civilian aircraft, their flights home were cancelled.
In the past, the Austrian army has used its Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft to organise airlifts for Austrian citizens – for example, after Covid-19 lockdowns came into force globally in 2020. Each of the turboprop planes could theoretically carry 92 passengers to safety.
As it quickly turned out, though, this was not an option now. The Austrian army just has two of the 60-year-old aircraft left in service and both were grounded for maintenance issues.
As army spokesman Michael Bauer told Austrian media yesterday, one of the Hercules planes had previously been sent to Portugal for “long-term maintenance”. The other had issues with its fuel tank. A third Hercules had been decommissioned years earlier.
In the end, the Austrian Government was forced to organise an evacuation of its citizens via Oman using chartered aircraft. The first flight is expected to touch down in Vienna today.
The sorry state of Austria’s air force has sparked embittered political infighting as politicians tried to pin blame on their opponents.
The ruling Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) – which currently heads the defence ministry – blamed the right-wing Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) and its former defence minister Mario Kunasek (2017 to 2019) for failing to procure replacement planes in time.
ÖVP defence speaker Friedrich Ofenauer said: “If Mario Kunasek had arranged for the replacement of the transport aircraft, which are now over 60 years old, in good time, we would have three fully functional aircraft.”
FPÖ general secretary Christian Hafenecker called Ofenauer’s accusations a “very shabby attempt to shirk responsibility” in response.
Hafenecker added that Kunasek had only been minister for a year and a half but still managed to push through replacements for the army’s ageing helicopters.
“However, it was the ÖVP’s finance minister who always opposed major investments. Just like it was the ÖVP that allowed the armed forces’ major investment needs to pile up over decades,” he said.
Austrians in future crisis hotspots will need to be patient: After the army started the procurement process for new transport planes in 2021 and signed a purchase contract in 2024, it will receive the first of four new Embraer C-390 aircraft in 2028. The rest will be delivered by 2030.
