I cant see any point in any cuts on programs that do not require money spent in the next two years. Who knows what the situation is going to be two years down the track. By all means mothball one or two Collins class subs if we cant crew them all anyway and save some money that way. Most of the other suggested savings are irrelevant as they wont save money from this or next years budgets. They are too far down the track.

The persistance of you people amaze me. How can it be any more than an estimate, when the production line has’nt started to roll yet? If there is any reduction in numbers to be ordered by any country, you dont think that will change the price of these aircraft? The US itself may reduce its numbers. What then?

Also I must agree with the above poster who mentioned Andrew Peacock’s appointment to Boing Australia, as he was a long term leader of the Liberal Party in Australia, the party in government that ordered the Super Hornets.

The F35 was never one of the aircraft under consideration by the RAAF. There were four aircraft being considered, Su30, Eurofighter, F15E, and Rafaele. End of story. Had we of chosen any one of them we would have them by now. We would never have needed to buy 24 F18E-Fs for a start.

I thought I had read recently of US plans to order a further 60 F22 aircraft for the USAF? And I dont believe they cost 2 to 3 times the price of a Typhoon or a F35 or F15 as currently produced. A bit of anti F22 propaganda in my opinion.

Er, who’se the N.Z. Prime Minister?

For all the rhetoric in recent years from Howard and his cronies denying a Coast Guard, it appears we have one, albeit in another name. It is not really the province of Customs to be looking for illegal migrants and protecting oil rigs.

From an Australian point of view, I am only interested in which of McCain or Obama is more likely to make decisions that will affect Australian interests, such as, cutting F35 numbers and so making it more expensive and less attractive, or increasing F22 numbers making them cheaper and given Australia access to the F22. That sort of thing.

Anybody know the latest cost the British and the French are to pay for their aircraft carriers?