Two words…Yeah Right!!

Not a great surprise.
Would be interesting to find out what financial aide the US threatened to pull if they went through with the purchase of non US material, but I doubt we will find out any time soon.
THey will probably get stuck with some old F-18s with half a billion miles on the clock, or just some old worn out F-16s with a full billion miles on the clock that has been wound back so many times it doesn’t go forward anymore.

Still better than what we have got!….oh damn! we havent even got any combat aircraft!!!

The future is with fifth generation types like the F-22 and F-35. Anything else is respectfully a waste of time. That said, as a stop gap until the latter types become available in quantity is another story. In the case of Australia why purchase the Super Hornets and not lease them for 10 years? This only makes me believe that the RAAF will end up with a mixed force of Super Hornets and Lightnings. With a smaller number of F-35’s to be acquired as a result! Which, means they will get a less efffective force in the long run……….:( WHATS NOT TO GET????

I competely understand what you are sayin but it seems that in every single Forum and Thread every one is bashing the SuperHornet,Im only an ex-gun slinging Grunt but I just cant see the USN and now the RAAF takin on board a fighter that just aint up to scratch,sure it has happened in the past( oz seasprite) Id love to know what combat seasoned ex Tomcat pilots think of the Superhornet,anyone read any articles?

While I understand that the Flanker is a mighty War-plane, a SuperHornet flown by a world class Ozzie Pilot would take out a Flanker flown by a Malaysian or Indonesian pilot.
For years our (former) Skyhawk (RIP) pilots defeated mig 29s and F16s (excercises) time and time again in a plane that had on average 8000hrs on the airframe and that while upgraded still only had a early model F16 avonics kit.
I was talking to a well respected ex RNZAF servicemen who said that Indonesian and Malaysian pilots are just not up to scratch and that the only worth while skilled opponents were OZ Hornets!
My point is that while technology counts,the OZ pilot with his world class training will make up for any flaws the Superhornet has.
A Flanker flown by a Russian pilot might be a different story!

Ja woosley, We have ordered too few,but with the price approching 1billion we couldnt afford any more,I personally think that we should have brought the Marine Corp Version of the upgraded Huey,our airforce and aviation company Safe-Air have years of know how with the basic Huey air-frame,the infastruture is there to maintain a newer version of the Huey,the last thing we need is a high tech chopper that we will stuggle to maintain heck the army is struggling to maintain the systems on the LAV Armoured Carrier!! Besides you just cant beat the sound that the Huey makes!!!
I hope that if Labour is voted out (please please) that National will look at the idea of a joint ANZAC force,it has been suggested within National party ranks

While I can see the logic in buying what OZ is buying I dont agree with buying the NH90,im not Euro bashing but the UH-1H has 40 years hard service under its belt and has more life in her yet,I just dont see the NH90 lasting that long,Americain hardware is tried and tested and priced at a good price,European while fancy and specd up is very much on the pricey side.
I dare say that if our Goverment was on the right leaning side of politics the Blackhawk would have been in the running,but the same goverment that destroyed our combat wing has elected to buy European,time will tell how the NH90 will go

Don’t worry Jase… that didn’t come over as racist one little bit..:eek:
Is the NZ airforce (does it even exist?) 1st World? They still have never operated a true supersonic jet..:D :diablo:

On a more serious note, this conflict has been brewing for some time, and nobody coud honestely think Ethiopia was going to just sit back…
Does anyone know the types of Air to Ground ordinance used by the Ethiopians? Do they only operate with ‘dumb’ munitions?

What NZ Airforce? Theres a NZ Taxi Force…maybe thats what your talking about?:D

Fact is that the Islands belongs to Argentina…… it’s unbelievable that there are still imperial powers in the year 2006! Don’t forget that Latin American polotical situation is making a turn to the left……. and Argentina is this time NOT alone in the idea’s to have the islands back:dev2:

Exocet II

There is always one that has to bring the political crap into such threads