tiddlesIn any case I think if this deal does go ahead, I might just look for a new home, say South Africa- they have a great Air Force and operate my two favourite planes (Gripens and Hawks).[/QUOTE]
I too am a bit dubious about wether this deal will come to any thing.
Why go to South Africa at least we have half of your favourite planes, the Hawk. I thought from one of your posts thought you might end up in Wales if you had to live in another country at least these conquered & enslaved people dont have an airforce to worry about.
tiddlesJSF Deal
In time I believe Lockheed Martin will indeed regret the sort of offset and technology access deals that have been signed with foreign partners. The UK was in from day one from the very first concept phase, since then all sorts of countries have came onboard and they all have ambitions on technology access. My own view is that this is a common problem in military equipment, I really think the four EF Typhoon partners would have got their fighters sooner and cheaper by pursuing their own programs.
I suspect the whole partner concept is just one of those situations that “Seemed like a good idea at the time” Part of the reason for joining apart from hope of lucritive contracts [greed] is a guaranteed place in the production line which is necessary for countries like Canada & OZ whose current fighters will just be out of life about 2015-18 [optimisticly] & want a 5th generation fighter backed up by a country that will keep it upgraded with the passage of time & hopefully keep it near the top of the pack. However as I mentioned in another post if you take the money and call other countries partners then they will expect more than if they had just come knocking & wanting to buy your product. LM would have been better to go it alone assuming they could have come up with the “seed money” that the “partners ” have put in . Anyhow this is not helping to find a partner to try and get the CVF built, has anyone got any realistic ideas or is the whole CVF project a lost cause.
tiddlesSweetdreams or pipedreams
One of the biggest “misconception” is that the Super Hornet and Hornet share alot in common! Really, except for a few avionics and some support equippment they have very little in common!:eek: That is unless you want to trade-in the AESA APG-79 in the Super Hornet for the APG-73 in the Hornet………structure, airframe, engines, radar, landing gear, etc. etc. are totally different.:confused:
What you say is reasonably true, the forward fuselage is derived from the F/A-18C design & the baseline avionics system is largely derived from the C Model.The rest is new. And if the deal does go through!! I hope that it has the APG79 radar ,this the AESA derivitive of the APG73 used on current Bugs. Lets just say the Superbug has always been considered the frontrunner in all OZ articles I have read. 🙁
tiddlesA done deal?
Funny the article said under negotiation to buy 24 F/A-18F’s as a stop gap? Personally, I would think the F-15E/K Strike Eagle would offer much more capability and is flown by several allies. Further, why not just lease them until the arrival of the F-35’s…………..Regardless, the Super Hornets don’t have the range of the F-35 let alone the venerable F-111’s! Good move for India……………Dumb move for Australia! IMO:p
As I pointed out I am not convinced it is a done deal. An interim fighter/ bomber has been debated ad finitum in OZ mags & newspapers ,as recently as October RAAF brass were making official noises that an interim aircraft was never on the agenda. The Strike Eagle ,Superbug & Eurofighter have been regularly mentioned as an interim solution, even a lease deal involving Canada with Superbugs. Both the Eagle or Superbug are good solutions for the RAAF considering their close relationship with Boeing Aust. Just how the EF2000 crept into calcs regularly is beyond me considering its limited a2g at this point.None of these planes can match the F111 for range with about 30K lbs. of internal fuel it has been described as a regional bomber.Does anyone really know just what the range of the F-35c loaded up with a serious amount of ordinance really is,not yet anyhow. It does not matter what you read ,the range of combat aircraft seems to vary with the identity of the author of the info.& the F-35 is not in service yet.
tiddlesBugoz -A done deal??
I have to admit that I thnik an F-15K/SG variant would be more capable but if the Super bug is available sooner then so be it. The moral of the story though has to be that one should plan ones procurement better so that one is not forced into such a position.
I am not totally convinced that the purchase is a done deal ,& that it might still be in the negotiation stage. If a deal was to be done before the arrival of the JSF [2012-5???] then I think the Superbug was always going to be the frontrunner as its reasonible commonality with the other OZ Bugs [Flying, maintenance etc..] was always going to make it a cheaper deal over time.Seeing as no competition was held the Superbug is easier to justify & anyhow it seems to fit the role required by an F111 replacement fairly well. I think it is an under rated machine & will perform just as well in real situations as its highly rated & sexier looking 4th gen rivals.
tiddlesWell I for one I’m happy:) Any idea when are we going to get them – as in when can we expect to see the first batch?
I like the superbug…
Any more info would be gratly appreciated, thanks.
The Aust. Financial Review suggests that the first plane could be delivered as early as 2008 ,I have also read that the USN was agreeable to OZ getting planes off the line that are at present allocated to them. All planes are to be the F model deliveries could be completed by 2010.
tiddlesPissed off partners
Really, from the American perspect of the US should have just gone in alone! We would still sell thousands of F-35’s and we would have these issues to deal with……………….:rolleyes:
Well the US did not go it alone, & if you put your hand into other peoples pockets up front ,its a fair bet they will expect somthing real in return. I suspect it will be some time before other countries get sucked in again. The MMA did not attract a lot of attention from “partners” I wonder why.
tiddlesTilting at the treasury
Hi Ja-Thanks for the correct info re the choice of Seahawk in 1983, I was also not aware that the Army wanted the Panther.
Your choice of machines to do the combat & Medium Support & training & light support is definately thinking out of the box however I hope that there is plenty of $$$$$$$ in that box for our treasury to pay for this forward thinking.
tiddlesProbably too late
Seeing as the ADF is eventually going all NH 90 [46 ordered or virtually ordered ? so far] it is a bit hard to go against it but seeing as no NH 90 have been delivered I might use my makebelieve executive powers to cancel them. The Army always wanted more Blackhawks so I will let them have what they want. The RAN will get the Sikorsky MH-60S & the MH-60R to fulfil all main roles & keep some commonality with the Army.Training & Light General Purpose will be done by the A109, a bit of a luxury probably but I think it would prove very useful overall.
Now a question for any Knowledgible RAN person -In 1983 the Seahawk was chosen over the Lynx, Dauphin, & Super Puma. I have read [Somewhere] that the RAN really wanted the Super Puma,is there any truth in this or not.
tiddlesDrydocks or Nodocks
You don’t actually need a drydock to assemble the mega blocks. Although it is easier and less problematic.
I will take your word for that info however the posts I read sugested that putting the blocks together in the dry dock at Rosyth was already decided upon,I will admit I only know what I read on the Navweaps thread.
tiddlesPortsmouth and Rosyth
I have a question to ask any UK followers of this thread, my knowledge of UK Geography is very basic.[Among other things]
On another Forum [Navweaps] to which I dont belong some info has been posted & I was hoping some UK person could verify it or not
1- The CVF would not be able to dock at Portsmouth as the entrance is too small & Southhampton is a commercial port & unsuitable.????
2- The dry dock at Rosyth is too narrow to put the sections of the CVF together in & no work has been done to rectify this & the dry dock at Devonport is to narrow & too short & nothing has been done to improve it either.
This was on the More cuts coming thread
Good news for CVF believers,[not including me ,I am sane] the problems of tech. transfer between UK & USA re the JSF appear to have been resolved, I always thought they would , but if they had not then definately bye,bye CVF .
tiddlesFox Three
I’m starting to doubt it. I’ve just read something in Fox 3 vol 10, where they say they tested AASM on CAS missions during F2 acceptance flights. So the talks might well be about how to speed up AASM deliveries.
Hi OPIT I am hoping you can tell me where you are getting Fox Three from,I have got 1-8 but have bombed out on finding any more publications.Hoping to hear from you -Tiddles
tiddlesSeasprite purchase
Which, is the point that the RAN already operated Seahawks and Blackhawks. So, why purchase another type……………not like the Seahawk is an excellent Anti-Surface Platform.
You do have a point ,it is my understanding [Still looking for the article] that the Sea sprite was ordered even though the OPV project was dead in the water. A real fiasco. Regarding the mention of Blackhawks I have read reputable authors articles saying that the only real thing that the Blackhawk & the Seahawk have in common is the Hawk name but I suppose that is a bit arguable Seeing as 46 Nh90 are ordered ,40 for the army & 6 to replace the Seaking we will eventually get some commonality when the Seahawk & the Seasprite [If it ever goes into service] are replaced by the NH90.
tiddlesPearl Harbour movies
Where would Hollywood be without Pearl Harbour, it has featured in one way or another in more movies than I can think of & I reckon I have seen a fair few of them.I know What ifs?? can be a bit tedious but what if no Pearl Harbour, I imagine WW2 may have been 1939-195** war who knows?
Truly a day of infamy.
‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself” [FDR]
tiddlesCVF Finale
You should cut back on the medication………..it’s being to effect your motor skills!:eek:
The CVF’s will happen regardless of the Politics………..:rolleyes:
FLY NAVY:cool:
being to effect……..
but not my spelling skills
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