Kudos to the RAAF, they have built towards the most capable air force for its size in the world, coming ahead in leaps and bounds over the last decade and a bit. There has been a deliberate Douhet like investment in airpower by government, and if it wasn't for the failures of naval procurement in the 90's, I'd suggest there would be a lot more confidence in the ADF in meeting high end warfare threats regionally. Yes, the F35 is the biggest piece of the jigsaw puzzle at the moment, but if it delivers, with the rest of the RAAF's advanced capabilities, Australia is well placed to face current and emerging threats in the region. It is also structured to make meaningful contributions to allied expeditionary operations, where and when, we decide to spread democracy to dysfunctional regions of the world. ;-)
One area of vulnerability facing Australia, is a RAAF so capable, adversaries in whatever shape or form, look toward asymmetric warfare. It would be a mistake not to assume China would look at vulnerabilities as diverse as cyber warfare, bases, tankers, fuel etc.
The cliche references to WW2 and the F35 are actually in favour of current RAAF strategy. Though the links tenuous, if you go back to the late thirties and Australia's disastrous strategic position, consider the RAAF now. If it were 1939 instead of Wirraways in Darwin, the RAAF is at the revolutionary forefront of technology and demonstrated capability. I know more than silly but I'd like to knock the endless comparisons to WW2 and where the RAAF is positioned now!
5th Generation F35 fighter- equivalent of having RAAF Spitfires whereas in 1939 were defenceless.
Mature 4th and 4 1/2th generation fighters- Kittyhawks in numbers in 1941 would have blooded more Japanese landings and air strikes.
Current, highly trained and tactically developmental RAAF aircrew, with combat experience- Luftwaffe and Japanese pilots ( in Spain and China ) were blooded and primed for the application of advanced air combat for the day. If RAAF crews were so trained and equipped many areas of early WW2 would have been less unfavourable.
Advanced radar and ISR platforms, fixed and airborne- radar was decisive in the Pacific littoral and the UK, adversaries that had ignored the capability paid dearly. We see this now, many mid-size air forces have not anywhere near the capabilities the RAAF is operating or investing in.
Electronic Warfare Growler etc- I'd put this in the catgory of the most advanced and decisive capability equivalents at the start and throughout WW2. The RAAF is at the pinnacle of capability and had no such foresight in government in the 1930's.
Anti-shipping warfare is a decisive capability for Australia with Super Hornets and Growlers, P8's and information linking to the navy. And an eventual longer range stealthy missile, making a maritime encounter between anyone other than the USN, a likely unsuccessful battle for potential adversaries- in WW2 our doctrine still believed in the battleship that left our troops stranded in Singapore. The modern RAAF has the capability with SH, stealth ( F35 evolving ) and Growler to drive naval engagements regionally sub-surface only - as a RAND study predicts, for instance, war in the South China Sea would end up sub-surface after a week as submarine and airborne stealth sink surface combatants.
The last decade or so tend to demonstrate a RAAF leadership at the forefront of airpower development relevant to Australia's defence- WW2 was a poor reflection on the RAAF at the senior levels.
There is no useful WW2 comparisons to the RAAF, which on paper is forging itself toward capabilities and doctrine far beyond our eve of disaster in 1939. There was a period of time where the F111, with upgraded weapons systems, offered an amazing capability. But really, nowadays, it's range would just mean it would fly a long way unescorted to get shot down! It can't fly from say Butterworth to attack the Parcel Islands without a complex package of support - its sobering when chatting to co-pilots ( whilst flying over the Chinese island bases ), who are not long off operations on Tornados and Mirages in the Mid East and Africa and them reflecting on adversary SAM capabilities ( the ones perched on the Parcels ).
It's time to move on from Wirraways and F111. The F35 is here.
Last edited by Gnadenburg; 23rd Jul 2018 at 05:46.