You should also mention the F-21A Lion of the USN Agressor training unit VF-43

Actually theoretically 747’s could make a kamakizi style attack on a US carrier, forget the Su’s just send two 747’s off and have them fly in a normal flight path, then send out a false report that there is something wrong and as you go down to low level, planes from the carrier will launch to look for survivors and wreckage, meanwhile the 747’s are running in at them full ball and slamming into the carrier!

If the 747’s are freighter models and are packed with either fuel or high explosives it is possible to take out the carrier. As for radar issuses, most of a carriers radar is aimed up, anything below 100ft does have a chance to get in, and CIWS systems aren’t usually active unless in times of hightened alerts (now if this is a normal day, then those radars wouldn’t be on would they)?

Wow there are already pics of the Mexican P-99A cool, now we need more pics of their three E-2’s

Co: Mate that’s a Dutch boat and I can’t remember what that is (getting old)

Can: no worries mate, actually Melbourne was my real love, she was the reason I joined the navy, ever since I saw her docked in Woolloomaloo with Skyhawks and Trackers Wessex and Seakings on her decks back in the mid 70’s (me being a kid back then) I knew I wanted to be in the military (my father was in the military as well). I wanted to fly those Skyhawks and lost all my drive in 83 when I watched her getting towed from the reserve slips in Atoll Bight.

In the end I did join and gwent the other way, if I couldn’t fight above the oceans, then I’d fight below them 😉 I have collected books (of which I have volumes) memoribilia and anything going, on Melbourne, she was a fine ship which had a proud history. Carriers are my true passion!

Severodvinsk: just a couple of corrections mate;

Clemenceau scrapped and used for spare parts

It should be pointed out here that the spares are going to Brazil to keep Sao Paulo (ex Foch) running, the only thing compatible off Clem was the ships prop, which CdG needed when her new, highly advanced *cough* prop broke, apart from that nothing else is compatible.

Spain (one in service)

And one to come

Italy (one in service, one building)

If you quoted the Amphibs of Japan, then why didn’t you quote the amphibs of Italy which are actually a bit bigger than their Japanese counterparts? ever heard of the San Giorgio class?

Finally mate Melbourne wasn’t Australia’s only carrier, she was the fourth in our service, and you might as well go down on record as saying that there are two coming as we will select the final bidder either late this year or early next with delivery in 2007

Well like I said originally mate, the competition was just a formality, the ADF had decided long ago that this was the helo that they wanted, but due to American Pressure they had to have the comp anyway, even in the first rounds the H-92 was booted for being too big and not even in production for any service yet, it’s doubtful that it will actually go ahead. The UH-60 was not an improvement over what we already have thus the two contenders left were the Eh-101 and that was too big for what we wanted and the MRH-90 (Perfection) Bigger than the current Seahawks yet small enough to still operate off the back of our FFG’s though I’d really like to see this being done.

Can; lets sort this mess out mate, here are a few things you left out.

Aircraft carriers in Australia have a very sad history, in 1964 HMAS Melbourne collided with a destroyer during an exercise off Jervis Bay, and in the 1980s Australia decided not to replace the ship and the RAN is without an aircraft carrier strike force.

Yes the V Class destroyer HMAS Voyager lost hands when the Carrier collided with it during a night training excercise off the coast of Nowra, lives were lost. The skipper was cleared of any wrong doing (infact it was found to be the skipper of the destroyers fault, he turned into the Carrier), after a three years stint fixing the bow, she put back to sea under the same skipper and again collided with another destroyer in similar circumstances. USS Frank E. Evans lost 74 hands in the South China Sea while on patrol and again it was the destroyers fault.

Here’s a full account of the inncident Melbourne and the Destroyers collision.

In the early 80’s, the Fraser government were discussing with the British government, the possibility of buying the Carrier HMS Ark Royal (the last of the class and the only one not needed). There came a change of government and in June of 82 Melbourne was retired and July 83 she was towed to China to be broken up.