President Museveni wants a new Jet, is it worth it?

Published 10 December 07 06:14 PM | peregrine

Gulf Stream 5

The Daily Monitor published an article dated 8th December, that PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has summoned MPs on the Presidential Affairs committee to brief them about his urgent need for a brand new Gulf Stream 5 (G5) presidential jet.

The President while meeting the MPs at State house in Nakasero said he is in a dilemma since manufacturers have stopped producing Gulf Stream 4 (G4) jets yet the government does not have the capacity to stock spare parts for overhauling the plane. He said overhauling the plane is more costly than buying a new jet. The president said manufacturers have shifted interest to the Gulf Stream 5.

The President started with a Gulf Stream II which costed the country more than 20 billion UG Shs. He changed it citing reasons that the G II couldn't reach London by express, and would make stopovers thus a security threat!.

The Gulf Stream II was traded and he acquired the G III. In the year 2000 Uganda was targeted for debt relief, this was a party the parliament approved about $31.5 million dollars (54 billion UG Shs.) for a Gulf Stream IV Special Peformance (G IV SP) jet which aeronautically, its a good bird in terms of performance. The GIV SP needs not stop overs to most destinations. Aviation experts put a price tag of about $47 million dollars (80 billion UG Shs. for the final cost of the GIV SP)

Not many years down the road, the President wants a Gulf Stream V. The G V is capable of carrying up to 16 people in standard seating configurations, and able to fly up to 6,500 nautical miles (7480 miles or 12,038 km)

The president said the producers of the Gulf Stream series of air crafts have stopped the production of the G IV he owns and they have shifted interest to the G V.

If the President wishes go through and it's certain he will get the G V,Uganda will spend more than 70 billion Uganda shillings in acquiring a new presidential aircraft used non other than one person.

The President should understand that the G V has been in production since 1995 and certified in 1997, and He should understand that even up to date Gulf Stream Aerospace the producer of the classic airplanes is still selling a modified version of the Gulf Stream IV he doesn't want to use.

Gulf Streams are very expensive and efficient air crafts mostly used by the rich and the US army, navy, coast guard and Israeli Air force those folks swim in dollars compared to a poverty stricken and backward country like Uganda with a bad economy, low standard of living, low mortality rate, no schools upcountry etc.

As an aerospace engineer I am convinced that the spare parts of the G IV will be available in plenty, and there's no major aerospace manufacturer that discontinues a product and no engineering support isn't put into place in this case spare parts and overhauling.

With the 60 billion Uganda shillings alot of health centers can be constructed upcountry, and primary health care will be close to the people.

Rich nations like Britain the Queen fly British Airways commercial jets, the Prime minister the same so why should tax payers money go into a jet which won't benefit he common man?.