I’m struggling to think of purpose for a proximity fuse on an ASM.

Daniel

The RAAF recently grounded the F-111 Fleet due to a wheel falling off during flight! Should the RAAF lease F-15E’s in the short term until a replacement can be found? :rolleyes:

Oh is it that time again already. Sorry don’t feel like it this week. Go do a search of the archives if you really feel you need an answer to this.

Daniel

I believe that given the size of the ship, even a lightweight ASM would have sunk it, rather than start a fire and still allow it to reach port.

Some of the footage being shown of the Israeli naval vessels (mostly not SAAR V’s but earlier versions such as the SAAR III and IV) bombarding targets in Lebanon have shown them only a kilometer or two offshore, well within range of an anti-tank guided missile.

Most of them only have a 76mm gun, which has a range of only 8 or so KM at surface targets, if you want to hit targets inland you need to get closer to the beach, and that may be whats happened.

As pointed out a C802 would have blown it to pieces.

Unicorn

Dunno folks. I’ve seen people talking about the Hanit as a patrol boat. Its a 1400ton corvette. Sure a 165kg charge is gonna do a lot of damage but I think “blown to pieces” is just a bit rich. Consider the NK freighter Pong Su. This 3800ton vessel was hit with two 2000lb bombs dropped by RAAF F-111s. Thats almost 1800kg of which just under half is explosive. I don’t recall the Pong Su being blown to bits. According to some on these boards that beating wasn’t enough to put the ship under, further charges being required. Given the fact that we are yet to see any photo’s of the ships damage we cannot say one or the other what hit it.

Daniel

Because we need another of these threads. These assesments are all about getting funding for more F-22s.

Daniel

Whoever designed the weapons for this must have also done the Armidales. I would like to see a Corvette or OPV in the RAN, but more heavily armed than this.

Why? Either spent just a little more on a proper frigate that has the endurance to conduct serious independent patrols or get more, cheaper patrol boats to better cover the coast. We don’t need some over armed little boat that can’t venture more than a few hundred miles offshore. A corvette is a very poor compromise for a nation situated as Australia is. Best hope I can see for all the corvette crazies is a few mine hunter configured LCS’s in the future and some of the alternative ASuW modules held in reserve.

Daniel

What suprises me is that the effect on the Turkish order has been so quiet, I have hardly seen any reference to the Turkish order at all leading me to think that it is our government playing their old game again and trying to cram all the latest wiz-bangs into a frame that can only take a fraction of it, I’ve also seen no mention about how the RAAF are wanting to put UAV controls in these machines to help forward control the Global Hawks when we get those as well. it’s the small facts of the large issues that are being kept in the dark here!

This international airborne surveillance program, known as Wedgetail in Australia and Peace Eagle in Turkey, consists of the 737-700 aircraft outfitted with highly complex, integrated command and control and advanced radar systems.

Australia has purchased six AEW&C aircraft and Turkey has purchased four. Delivery of the first two Wedgetail aircraft and that effort’s flight test schedule have been delayed up to 18 months because of development and integration issues with certain hardware and software components. Boeing now plans to deliver all six Wedgetail aircraft by the end of 2008 and is developing the Peace Eagle schedule with its Turkish customer.

The focus has been on the Australian order because:

1) Many of the reports have been in the Australian media
2) The issue has become an issue during a visit by the Australian defence minister
3) Australia is the lead customer and one would expect the delays to reduced for the follow-on Peace Eagle order as Boeing streamlines its processes.

Daniel

I think if any opponent that the RAAF faced was prepared to allow us to roam at will over thier airspace and only pop up to challenge us every now and then, then the RAAF would be quite pleased with that.

Daniel