antipodean alligator - what ever I am smoking I am sure glad it isn't what you are.
Did you even bother to read my post?
The pretense was that if the defence forces were given an additional $6 Billion to spend (proposed budget for the 24 super hornets), then the choice would not have been the super hornets. As I said, there would be a wish list a mile long, I didn't say I had the answer.
The F-111 will never be deployed in anger, why not scrap it now, save some money there. It aint a new capability gap if its always been there, which is the false pretense under which the super hornets are being purchased.
The point about the LHDs, is that if they are ever deployed into a war zone, they will need air defence, who is going to provide this, the floating radar, as you put, only 3 of them, land based aircraft, can't always guarantee coverage from them, unless your in the RAF in the late 70s, and want to move Australia to suite. If we are going to do it, at least lets do it right.
"Look at the UK...The SHAR was the best AD jet they had...But it was killed to save $$$$" and as a result we got the Sea jet thread.