Originally Posted by
Guptar
Should we be thinking of some new platforms for the RAAF.
Example: F15EX replacing Super Hornet.
Does the single engine, short range F-35 cut it in the theatre of long range projection.
Certainly we should. The retirement of the F-111 was a highly political event. The nonsense about maintenance costs was a fallacy, some of the most advanced aircraft like the F-22 require something like 100 hours of maintenance for every 1 hr of flying time. It is completely unfathomable that the F-111 would have been anywhere near that ballpark. Yet it was a good solid platform with the capability of carrying weapons that the F/A-18F (a pigmy by comparison, a 5th of the combat radius, a third of the load and much, much slower - yet it was touted as an F-111 replacement. Replacement my a-se)....... and the F-35 cannot carry some of those weapons either. Anyway, the F-111 has gone now unfortunately but I've often thought the F-15SE or the newer F-15EX would have been a FAR better replacement. The F-35 is simply NOT going to be able to do everything the F-111 could and an advanced F-15 at least has close to the weapons load and almost the combat radius (short by 300 miles or so but much more than the anaemic F-35 and the totally pathetic -18F - Defence carried on about how 'range isn't important', the same ADF was expressing interest in conformal fuel tanks for the F/A-18F so, yeh, range IS important) and the F-15 is slightly faster than the F-111 (Mach 2.5 for the -111 and either 2.6 or 2.7 for the F-15)....
One analyst has suggested we should be scaling back the Army, putting the money into 24-32 Nuclear Subs including some SSBNs with nuclear weapons and a strong aerial strike capability. The logic is that any large scale operation to 'invade' would have to come by sea and we need a force that can sink them on the way and strike back. The striking back bit of course is the deterrent part.
It is entirely arrogant IMHO for China to be throwing a hissy fit when they are churning out ships and aircraft like a sausage machine. Nuclear powered and armed Subs with a very capable strike platform (12 B21s would be nice but the yanks probably won't sell them to anyone, but they wouldn't sell their subs to us until now so you never know.......) simply sends a message that we are more than capable of defending ourselves and retaliating so go bully someone else.......