G`day gents
If I may, can I pick your brain and sight your opinion on the subject of how long it would possibly take for the Royal Australian Navy to effectively reestablish a true operational competency in carrier-based operations, if the Australian politician’s were to bump their heads in the dark one night and wake the next morning and grant the RAN (and ADF as a whole!) the benefits of say modifying the two Canberra Class (Spanish Buque de Proyección Estratégica design) LHDs. How long would it take to get the FAA reestablished and its crews (both flight, operations and ground crews trained???)
Also, as much as this would impact on the overall amphibious capacity of the design, would it be worth modifying the design to a more equalized amphib/carrier combination – as something would have to give!
Look forward to your comments and opinions on the topic
Regards
Pioneer
By: Distiller - 29th October 2010 at 15:15
Sorry Distiller, please forgive my ignorance, but could you elaberate more as to what you mean!
Regards
Pioneer
Sorry. I mean everything flows from the HQJOC. Why build a dedicated carrier air FAA when the RAAF flies already the right aircraft and the main task would be to carrier qualify the pilots and get the maintainence and other support staff in shape to transfer to a carrier for some time. Chances are low that Australia would fight both expeditionary and at home, so why not use RAAF assets (SHornets) to fly off carriers (in the fashion of “one morning …” these would probably some kind of real aux straight deck carriers, based on some fast container ship)? I’d say that could be done within 18 month, in any case within the time it would take to adapt/build a carrier.
By: Geoff_B - 29th October 2010 at 08:16
Interesting question, i assume your talking about additional/or F-35B to complement the F-35A or are you thinking of a stop gap purchase of the RAF Harrier fleet ?
If the former then its a case of if they order the F-35B then it would depend on when the F-35B production deliveries start and when training programs are established, then get the first pilots onto the earliest USMC F-35B program to start the training process. The flight deck crews could go see the USN/USMC to get experience with VTOL ops on carriers.
If the latter then ity would be a case of getting pilots onto a USMC training program and possibly poaching some of the soon to be grounded UK Harrier pilots and crew to get the program rolling ASAP.
Modifying the ships wouldn’t be too hard as the Spanish design did include VTOL features.
Of course its just a pipe dream at the moment and funding would be highly unlikley without a radical change in strategy.
By: benroethig - 29th October 2010 at 08:03
At least a decade before it was self sustaining. Honestly, with the numbers we’re talking, it would be best to have the RAAF do it.
By: Pioneer - 29th October 2010 at 06:11
Wouldn’t it be a bit against the trend? Small overall force numbers and networking (cloud warfare :D) point into the direction of flatter, more unified command structures, rather than erecting new tribal realms within the forces.
Sorry Distiller, please forgive my ignorance, but could you elaberate more as to what you mean!
Regards
Pioneer
By: Distiller - 28th October 2010 at 11:07
Wouldn’t it be a bit against the trend? Small overall force numbers and networking (cloud warfare :D) point into the direction of flatter, more unified command structures, rather than erecting new tribal realms within the forces.
Sign In
October 28, 2010 at 6:48 am