In regards to the Caribou, why not just increase the fleet of CH-47D’s in service from the current 6 to say 12 or even 18 aircraft. True this isn’t a direct replacement but it would increase the Army’s mobility considerably.

I have Virgin Blue 737’s fly over my house all the time.

Now hypothetically they’re a civilian airline, but their stewardesses are about as friendly as a USMC Drill Sergeant. I once asked if I could have a bin to dispose of chewing gum and they told me to hold on to it until the end of the flight.

Some more photos from “Moma Stanojlovic” overhaul facility at Batajnica AB

Are these aircraft being overhauled or are they merely being stored?

How does this affect RAF deliveries?

And here’s a conspiracy theory I just made up. Saudi Arabia buys lots of Eurofighters and the Brits can bail out of Tranche 3!

The first 24 were meant to come out of Tranche 2, but this expanded deal throws a spanner into the works.

So it could be that the Brits get all their Tranche 2 aircraft and then never sign on for Tranche 3. Or to get even more convoluted, the Brits order Tranche 3 but simply transfer ownership of the aircraft to the Saudis.

And how dedicated are the other 3 parties to Tranche 3?

*idiotism on*

I think they’re going to get the PAK-FA, some An-124-100 and maybe some Ka-50’s. The Mi-6 will most definitely be acquired as it is especially useful for special forces operations and traffic control.

*idiotism off*

I doubt they’ll have an airforce. There is only 650,000 people living there. I think at most they will probably have some utility helicopters ala ex-US UH-1H’s.

NATO was driven to take out nonmilitary targets in Serbia to force the Serbs to the table. It was forced to lie… Kosovo will not become an independant state indeed! It used Russia to get the serbs and then screwed the Russians. The Russians then screwed NATO by going into Kosovo anyway. It was a c0ckup. One week of bombing turned into 3 months of bombing with safe dumping areas taking the heaviest punnishment because they ran out of targets.

The infighting at the political level showed NATO doesn’t actually work. The US were basically operating on their own and did most of the bombing themselves.

A total c0ckup.

No offense, but holy sh!t this is dumb.

Last time I checked it was NATO that ran Kosovo and not Serbia. How you win is irrelevant. As Machiavelli once said “the ends justify the means.”

A few points on the RAAF C-17 purchase: the order is for 3 + 1 option (likely to be taken up) and will be used by 36sq. This unit currently is based at Richmond AB & has 12 C-130H’s, 6 of which are to be retired, and the unit will relocate to Amberley AB sometime after 2008 (According to Australian Aviation magazine) This looks like the writing on the wall for Richmond as the A330 tankers are to be based at Amberley and they will probably move the the other Herc squadron (37) there too. (Amberley will have plenty of ramp space once the F-111’s are retired…)

Interesting developments in the RAAF!

I am curious about several things:

1.) Once the F-111’s are gone in 2010, the Australian air combat capability will be limited to 71 F/A-18’s. So how many F-35’s will the RAAF acquire to recapitalise it’s fighter fleet?

2.) Once the C-17 enters service, will they be operated in a joint C-17A/C-130H squadron or will the remaining 6 C-130H’s be assigned to a new squadron (a total of 12 C-130H’s were delieverd to the RAAF)?

3.) I know that they delayed replacing the DHC-4 Caribou but will this replacement go ahead or will the Caribou simply be retired without replacement?

4.) The SH-2G still isn’t in service? What a clusterf@#k. Those morons in the Navy are brilliant at screwing things up. Not only are these helos expensive, rubbish and not needed (the ship class they were meant to serve off was cancelled) but the RAN have screwed up the Collins class submarine, the ANZAC frigate (required uprading due to insufficient weapons systems) and the LST’s (required significant reconstruction) I wonder how the 3 pointless airdefence destroyers will go? Me thinks it’s time they purged the RAN!

Arrow technology in the ’25?? you never know, the place was full of spies. Even a couple years ago there was still a politico south of the border calling us ‘Soviet Canuckistan’… ahhh, small minds

And you do have a Commie fighter for your avatar…. 😉