Australian Aircraft Sale! (Military)

Looking at the list, the F/A18s will be knackered when the RAAF will be finished with them and they’ll end up in a hole in the ground after the requisite numbers go to museums in Australia. At the moment RAAF is intending extending F/A 18 service life out to around 2020 until the F35 reaches squadrons. The photo the GBA used is a F18F Shornet. They are brand new. The RAAF has just got rid of its C130Hs so only has C130Js in its Hercules fleet. Most of the Hs have been sold to Indonesia. Minoora and Kimbala have been decomissioned and are rust buckets. Any ANZAC Frigates won’t be disposed of for at least 15 years because they haven’t even got around to starting the replacement project yet. The Seakings have already been sold and the S70 Seahawks will be totally knackered by the time they are replaced by the MH60R. No Blackhawks are up for replacement yet. They are still using the M113 APCs but am not sure how many. They didn’t mention the AP3Cs that will be replaced by the P8As.

I think some journos need to check some facts.

Nothing like sexing up an article with fighter jets.

I reckon the retired Seahawk will be used for spares or as an instructional airframe as opposed to being sold on. No insider knowledge, just makes sense to me.

Well the Royal Australian Navy might well be soon have something on sale via Disposals ? .

The first SH-60B Seahawk helicopter retired in December 2012 after 25yr service….from HS 816 Sqn.

The RAAF FA18’s are not on the sales list!

read the fine print. It simply says that old equipment will be disposed of of the next 15 years. Trucks etc are being replaced with new MAN models as well MB models.

There is NO suggestion that Australia is going out of the fighter business.

Are the Aussies going the way of the kiwi’s and think they don’t need a defence force with any punch??

The given list is everything they operate to a point though?

Curlyboy