RNZAF to get T-6C

[tartare]

Interesting.
Beechcraft Signs Contracts with Royal New Zealand Air Force for 11 T-6C Trainer Aircraft and Fully Integrated Flight Training Solution (http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/11300570/beechcraft-signs-contracts-with-royal-new-zealand-air-force-for-11-t-6c-trainer-aircraft-and-fully-integrated-flight-training-solution)
Will replace Airtrainers.
High pressure tyres, ejection seats... and hard points for things that go bang?
Not a jet - but not bad either, eh Helen???!!!:E

[chopper2004]

Never know it could lead to a return to fast jets.....:ouch:

Or maybe the T-6 could be armed in case of.................

Though reading the wording, are they going to get rid of the ME bit of the course as it will replace the King Air? The only thing that flies bar the NH-90 and the SeaSprite are the P-3C and C-130H and 757!

Cheers

[tartare]

True Chopper.
Australia could invade.
And if not, those Taiwanese fishing boats could get uppity again. ;)

[Buster Hyman]

Australia could invade.
Or the Orcs could come marching out of Mordor again...

[Dan Winterland]

The Pitch | The New Zealand Invasion (100% There for taking) - YouTube (http://youtu.be/7xUYbI64QHI)

[Samuel]

Asssuming of course that any such invasion from Oz would include a number of former RNZAF pilots, two of whom are soon to be in charge of significant assets!
Former RNZAF SQN LDR Easthope "Eastie" is being promoted to WG CDR this year, also he is heading to the Canadian Staff Collage and on his return he will be a CO for one of the F-18 Sqns within 81 Wing.Wing Commander Osborne "Ozzie" is begin promoted to Group Captain and is heading to the Air Command . So perhaps the 'invasion' is going to other way!

[tartare]

Nice.
Our plan of infiltration is working.
Dan - see this:
Kiwibank TVC - YouTube

[SpazSinbad]

Here they are being forced marched from the OzLingoReEducation FlyingTrainingGulag at NAS Nowra. Eastie no.1 in middle column with the big'un no.3 behind. 07 Dec 2001

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l261/SpazSinbad/NewerAlbum/No2leavesNASnowra07dec2001forum.jpg~original (http://s98.photobucket.com/user/SpazSinbad/media/NewerAlbum/No2leavesNASnowra07dec2001forum.jpg.html)

[Buster Hyman]

Centrelink queues have never been as neat since they left... :p

[bakseetblatherer]

I must admit that the only reason they could possibly be getting some fast jet lead in trainers is because there are still nostalgic ex-jet jockeys in high positions of the RNZAF. What a farce, for a helo and ME force to get a tandem cockpit training a/c. Ideal for crew co-op and management.

What a waste of my money :ugh:

edit: it seems the official release is not correct and these just replace the CT4s, and the King Airs will stay. That makes a lot more sense!

[tartare]

Spaz - some great `taches on those boys, in finest knucklehead tradition!

[Arm out the window]

Not a waste of money at all in my book - train all Aussie and Kiwi military pilots up to wings in a tandem seat fast-ish aerobatic machine capable of a decent hi-lo nav, then you'll have a good pool of pilots with flexible posting and surge capability rather than a bunch of streamed, locked-in aircrew who can't do anything but their own job.

Go for it Kiwis I say, and it'll probably give the RAAF planners a bit of a kick start when it comes to finally picking the Aussie replacement training platform/s too.

[SpazSinbad]

http://no76.squadronassociation.org/site/upload/Mar_08.pdf

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l261/SpazSinbad/NewerAlbum/WingCmdrOsborne2008CO76sqdnRAAF.jpg~original (http://s98.photobucket.com/user/SpazSinbad/media/NewerAlbum/WingCmdrOsborne2008CO76sqdnRAAF.jpg.html)

[Piltdown Man]

What on earth will NZ do with a "Fully Integrated Flight Training Solution"? Only in rugby are the Kiwis dangerous and you appear to have good relations with the rest of the world. Historically the French have been your only recent foe, launching a pre-emptive strike in Auckland harbour.

When it comes to defence, NZ has a problem. Being a small nation means you either have very BIG friends who you can totally count, you give in (not a very Kiwi like thing to do) or you deliver your very own personal message of disapproval in the form of total devastation. I don't think you'll ever go nuclear, so that's out and I wouldn't count on my lot or the Americans helping you out (we'd find some excuse) so to be honest, I'd spend the money on Uzi's or hunting rifles and give one to every. Then, the price of invasion would be too great.

So apart from training up to shoot at a few Asian trawlers, what will you do with a "Fully Integrated Flight Training Solution" (or an airforce come to that)? Sounds like somebody wants to do some aeros at the taxpayers expense or someone has taken a bung. Because let's face it, will your politicians ever let you go "guns blazing" into another conflict?

PM

[LurkerBelow]

Forget about the Taiwanese fishing boats, its the Japanese whaling fleet you need to worry about. After all, they are armed with harpoons (no less)! Perhaps that is what the air force is planning for...

[tartare]

PM - interesting points.
Much as we all love manned fast jets, it would seem hard to make a logical case for the RNZAF to have them at the moment.
Not sure what drove the choice of the T6 in particular.
As a civillian, I've often thought the RNZAF's major roles seem to be maritime patrol/interdiction, SAR and long range transport.
Hypothetically if it ever got involved in some kind of modern shooting war, perhaps it would be some kind of air-sea battle scenario; holding an adversary at bay over large stretches of ocean.
I suspect that as unmanned technology develops, and UAV's and UCAVs evolve, get cheaper and better, the RNZAF may once again get teeth.
But I suspect that 20 years from now, the jets and MPAs may all be being flown remotely from Ohakea.

[Buster Hyman]

Aside from port visits by Nuclear Warships, is there much difference between the ADF & New Zealands defence forces? Should they be combined for mutual self defence? Park a squadron of Hornets in NZ maybe?

(Ok, hand grenade successfully thrown into room...backing out s l o w l y...)

[tartare]

Bearing in mind I'm a civillian oik with just a passing interest in these areas... I'm sure that idea has been studied.
In reality from the little I know there appears to be a fair bit of commonality already.
NZ procurement decisions have seemed to pretty much follow Australian ones same Frigates, same helicopter types (NH90, Seasprite), the knucks used to fly pretty much the same jets (Macchi, A4).
Detachment of 75 squadron used to be based in Nowra - see Spaz's earlier photos, flying attacks on RAN ships etc.
RNZAF do Antarctic support, AFAIK RAAF do not.
Formal integration would be quite another step!
In reality, if anything went down, they'd probably function as a single self defence force anyway I'd imagine.
They've deployed together to places like Timor-Leste.
Someone else who knows more might be able to shed some light.

[500N]

Don't forget they have been fighting together in Afghanistan.

.

[tartare]

True 500N.
NZDF have set an objective to be able to function as a Joint Amphibious Task Force with other militaries in the region by 2020 (Ithink that date is right).
Interestingly, when you read the NZ Defence White Papers that go out to 2020 or so, the thing the Kiwis are really worried about is increasing instability in the South West Pacific islands - either AQ type threats or proxies for China making trouble.
From a purely NZ POV `spose there's also potentially a future need to safeguard any new offshore oil and gas discoveries in the basins surrounding Nu Zuld.
Lot of methane hydrates on the seafloor to the North East...!

[diginagain]

... Canadian Staff Collage ...Doubles-up as an art school?

[500N]

tartare

So is that more Army / Navy type assets / people as opposed to FJ ?
(Apart from Transport).

[tartare]

Yes - appears to be so 500N - and I got the date wrong, it's actually next year they have been proposing to have the JATF up and working.
I imagine tho that if there was a deployment that ran the risk of getting sporty, some Aussie fast movers would not be far away.
And may be some ones with stars and bars on them who visit the NT from time to time as well!

[500N]

I would hazard a guess that if it was in NZ's sphere, it would also be in
Australia's sphere - and interest, unless it was sovereign NZ Islands.

I forgot, I think NZ went to the Solomons as well.

[Samuel]

Originally Posted by Samuel
... Canadian Staff Collage ...
Doubles-up as an art school?

Sorry, but the spelling was Australian, I merely copied the article!:p

[SpazSinbad]

Over Page 'BustyHiMan' said: "...the ADF & New Zealands defence forces? Should they be combined for mutual self defence? Park a squadron of Hornets in NZ maybe?..."

Soon enough NueZuland will be the whatever newest state of Oz and we will call it 'East Bondi'. No Problemo then. :}

[tartare]

Nah - separate since 1841 Spaz - and we won't surrender without a fight!

[Not Long Here]

Australia - otherwise known as the West Island :}

[Samuel]

Meanwhile....the correct colour scheme, in 14 Sqn markings!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e33/Shadblat/NewZealandT6C_zps53baec44.jpg (http://s36.photobucket.com/user/Shadblat/media/NewZealandT6C_zps53baec44.jpg.html)

[Lonewolf_50]

A few years back the Greeks wanted T-6 with the armaments station option.

It would make sense to have an armed option for local/coastal issues that may need a bit more than a frown to resolve.

[tartare]

Yep.
You orstraylians try and come over with your flash Hornets and we'll either whack you with a BVR missile, or get in close, turn inside you and hose you...

[bakseetblatherer]

^What? :confused:

Paint scheme looks nice tho!

[TBM-Legend]

Tee-Sux Cee "All Black"


Looks nice really, pity to copy the Poms and Canucks however in trainer colours but appropriate nevertheless:ok:

Also wouldn't it be smart to keep a couple of King Airs for multi training??

[chopper2004]

.............considering the only thing that carries missiles in their forces is the SH-2G Seasprite lol :)

And remember this classic video for their rotary wing cadre?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BzU1sYPjzo


:ok:

[Citizen Blackhander]

If OZ and NZ both put some money in and obtained a squadron of F35B STOVL jets then put them on an LHD war ship (obtained by both countries) with fast jet conversion both nations would have A. a carrier with a combined support fleet of Australian and New Zealand warships, B. an ability to protect those national assets (from both nations) giving a visible deterrent to anyone thinking of mucking around with my friends over the Tasman, C. an ability to deploy a large force at a moments notice (troops, halos, jets, trucks and whatever else) for humanitarian aid support or unrest within the pacific islands and finally D. lets face it for a country of just under 4.5 million shouldn't we all start working together on a greater level? after all you are only a stones throw away (no offence).
Good idea or bad idea?

[Samuel]

Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Wellington, NZ
Posts: 164

Australia - otherwise known as the West Island

...and cultural gulag!:rolleyes:

[Arm out the window]

Not to mention dole office!

[SpazSinbad]

This act oughtta keep the tourists happy at Bondi - the buggest UnZud City outside a UnZud? The Kiwi Kultural Iwasion - Beached Az Bro.

Beached Whale - YouTube