Agree, but since the US export laws prevents that I would go for the F-15K like solution I mention earlier.

The Obey Amendement dosen’t prevent export exclusively, but rather forbids the USAF from undertaking FMS activites related to the Raptor. Former Air Vice Marshal Peter Criss, who has come out and said we should buy the Raptor, was involved in talks with the USAF on a new fighter when they offered us the Raptor. And that was back in ’99, way before Congress even considered allowing it to be exported.

The Su-27 is not capable of a BVR shot at a incoming F-111?:rolleyes:

I assumed buster was talking about a WVR engagement. Besides, as Silvia said, F-111s wouldn’t act as single penetrators but as part of a larger strike package including fighter escorts.

That’s not entirely correct. The Department of Defence exagerates the F-111’s maintainence costs to the point of absurdity. In their testimony to the JSCDFT Inquiry into Air Superiority, the costs in operating the F-111 increased tenfold from 2003!
In the Defence Annual Budget for 99/00, the Strike Reconnaissance capability (F-111) only cost 17.3% of the RAAF’s annual budget, the same as that for the AP-3C Orion fleet. The Air Power Australia submission to the Inquiry calculated the F-111 Total Cost of Ownership for the F-111 fleet out to 2020 as 2,224.5 million. And yes, I know, APA is Carlo Kopp. However, the calculations were based upon publicly available data. Now, I don’t wish to get into a debate over him nor wether the F-111 can be kept in service, but I wish people would take a look at the publicly available data on the actual costs of the RAAF F-111 fleet before making assumptions.

Does this mean that you are going to change your log in to Ozpiglet

😀
But then people might mistake me for being a F-35 fan rather then an F-111 fan! Single-engined fighters are for girls. 😉

AardPiglet is a nickname for the Aussie F-35… since it is to replace the F-111 Aardvark (the “Pig”), but is much smaller.

I like it! Hopefully it will come into common useage and the Pig will live on! 😀

Thanks, Scooter. Buying an A model, but the stronger gear of the C model…which plane does that remind me of? 😉
I’m pretty sure, though, the Australian F-35 will be boom refuelled given our MRTTs are being fitted with the EADS ARBS, but they have wing pods as well, although I assume they’re just for the F/A-18.

It’s a shame there is no Western equivalent to the SU-34, it would be the perfect replacement for the R/F-111C/G fleet. 🙁

I can see one glaring omission in those decals–no RAAF Scheme. Yet there is one in Canadian and one in West German colours! Had history taken a different course, surely Australia would have been the first foreign TSR.2 customer. To my knowledge, Australia was the only foreign country to express an interest in the TSR.2 but were dissuaded by the then Chief of the Defence Staff Lord Mountbatten.