Would appear Australia is flogging off everything but the kitchen sink.

[NutLoose]

Australian Defence Force to sell off thousands of assets | globaldefenceanalysis (http://globaldefenceanalysis.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/australian-defence-force-to-sell-off-thousands-of-assets/)


THE DEFENCE GARAGE SALE

12,000 vehicles (3300 Landrovers, 2500 light trailers, 2430 medium trucks)

Up to 24 ships; (Landing ships HMAS Manoora and Kanimbla, supply ship, frigates, barges)

70 combat aircraft; (F/A-18 Hornet fighters)

110 other aircraft; (C-130 Hercules, King Air)

* 120 helicopters; (Sea King, Seahawk, Blackhawk)

* 600 armoured vehicles; (Armoured personnel carriers)

* A range of communications systems, weapons and explosive ordnance (M2A2 Howitzers, 30 calibre machine guns, Hamel guns, M60D Machine guns, SLRs, torpedos).

[Courtney Mil]

These look like just the items we need to invade Argentina. I'd like to start a new party. Like UKIP but the other way round. The new British Empire. Hopefully they'll come up on E-Bay like the Headquarters there that I'm going to buy. I need some help with this.

[CoffmanStarter]

Yep ... Hammond is bidding as we speak :E

[CoffmanStarter]

Happy to serve Courtney ... Happy to be your Chancellor ... I'll have to wait until the Bank opens Monday to get my Platinum Card Credit Limit increased to help secure a few immediate essentials :ok:

[chopper2004]

Ha ha, all stuff to be replaced -

F/A-18C/D replaced by Super Hornet

S-70 replaced by Romeo Hawk

Old Herks by J mod

Sea King and some Black Hawk by MRH-90

Though Sea Kings went out of service over a year ago as 815 NAS was decommissioned.

AH HANG ON A SEC

can't sell off the US stuff .....arn';t there limitations to a customer flogging anything made in the USA? Especially the F/A-18 and the S-70. By en large wouldnt they go back to USA, the boneyard?

[CoffmanStarter]

Can I suggest Buster for Foreign Secetary and NutLoose as Home Secetary :}

[Albert Driver]

It's all in crates, ready to go.



Buyer to find where they're buried.

[Always a Sapper]

Find em?

That should be easy enough, just look for the biggest pile of empty tinnies and a mahoosive BBQ...

The hole will be nearby.

[aardvark144]

Have no idea who checked for accuracy. No Hornets are or ever will be for sale, the ADF does not have 110 helicopters and the C130s are being gifted to Indonesia and the RAAF Museum.

[aardvark144]

The story is far from accurate! No Hornets are or ever will be for sale, the ADF does not have 110 helicopters and the C130s are being gifted to Indonesia and the RAAF Museum.:ugh::ugh:

[Courtney Mil]

An interesting Cabinet. Let's go for it. Buster, send terms to the Government in BA. Nutloose, declare a state of emergency, Coff, get the cheque book out. Someone call up BEags as the PM. Looking for volunteers for a few posts. Once we get this going, I'd like to be a Fg Off again and cause trouble.

[Melchett01]

I'll take Foreign Sec - at least that way we might get to go somewhere nice other than desert!

I hear the Bahamas are rather nice at this time of the year, now what excuse, ahem, sorry, justification might there be for going there?

[fantom]

Suggest bury your leader in a crate. Burma?

[phil9560]

Can we all nick a nuclear sub and set up base on a Caribeann island?
And I want to drive the F18 but Courtney needs to teach me to fly it first because I suspect a few hours in the back of a Chippy isn't adequate.
If so i'm in.

[NutLoose]

As Home Secretary does that mean I can give the previous monotoned imbecil a course of elocution lessons and a syrup as a farewell gift, then cap all their pensions in line with the state one and make it only payable at 70.
Could I then send Gordon Brown and Tony Blair on a one way fact finding mission to some obscure lost Amazon cannibal tribe to learn and advise them on good dietary, come to think on it Phoney Tony could take the missus with him..

I'm in

[Buster Hyman]

No, I'll have Foreign Secretary...Swedish & blonde please.

[NutLoose]

Whatever floats your boat Buster, though he does nothing for me, is it the short?

http://blogs.20minutos.es/quefuede/files/borg4.jpg

[Melchett01]

Buster,

If BEags is going to be PM, don't be surprised if the Registry are all Susannah York lookalikes!

[Buster Hyman]

Nutty, if he can still serve & volley, then that'll do...

[Courtney Mil]

Any port in a storm, eh?

We need a press secretary. And who's going to be in charge of cutting benefits?

[Lima Juliet]

Mayor of London for me, please...:}

[Ivor Fynn]

I'll take on cutting benefits - dead simple, there will not be any, find a job or conscription. All money saved to MOD!!

Ivor:E

[Mk 1]

LOL, not to put you chaps off, but two of the ships likely to be sold are the Kanimbla (AKA the "Crumbler") amd the Manoora ("Manure"). Typical attempt at defence going cheap to save dollars and ending up spending far more (probably could have bought new).

Both vessels were purchased second hand off the septics and originally started their lives as: Newport-class tank landing ship - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport_class_tank_landing_ship)

The survey teams that inspected the vessels prior to the purchase missed the massive corrosion and other problems. The vessels were modified by the addition of a large hanger, removal of the bow ramps etc. The original budget was $60 million, by the time the conversion was complete and after discovering all the problems the final cost had become $400 Million. Yep, that's right nearly 7 times as much for a 15 year working life.

On the rest of the article - yes the old vehicle fleet is being replaced by a new fleet - the old stuff has got to go ( would love a 'mog). As to the rest of the list there have been no announcements made yet - as has been pointed out above, even if we sold all our new kit as well I doubt we'd have 110 helos. Also we operate heavily upgraded F/A-18A's and B's not C/D. And we won't be getting rid of them anytime soon as we won't be seeing the replacement airframes (F-35's) here before 2018ish at the earliest.

[CoffmanStarter]

Courtney ... with a bit of "alignment therapy" that bloke Keesje might be the ticket for Head of Communications/Press Secretary.

How about F3WMB for Education Secretary ... but we should offer him a combat role in something fast :ok:

I've got the funding mechanics sorted ... We buy all we need (and a few extra toys) and I'll then speak to the Banks and have them parcel up the debt and flog the bonds to South American Countries ... that way we shaft them both ways :}

The Empire Strikes Back ... has a nice ring to it doesn't it ...

[Courtney Mil]

The plan is coming together nicely. I thought Sharkey for Cheif of the Air Staff.

[ACW418]

Nooooo!

ACW