ozbiggles, there is no need for personal attacks. I am not the one calling the RAAF fighters not "combat ready", that's something the media has been doing for years. I am merely responding to that.
My questions are:
1) is this true? and if so:
2) why is this? and
3) is an expensive new fighter going to magically fix this?
Of course their absence in the places where Aussie troops have been operating for the past decade lends credibility to the argument.
We have Orions and transports pretty much permanently deployed, showing pollies nor the RAAF are shying away from deploying those assets.
If other nations that have troops in afghanistan are sending their fighters, why not Australia? The experience would be priceless.