Now I really don't have a dog in this fight one way or another , but I watched this program lat night and came away with the feeling that it was just a big beat up on Boeing and they struggled to make a coherent point on the other stuff.
Yes Boeing tried to sell Oz new airplanes, that is what they do. However, they also have the contract to maintain the F-111s.
What other point were they trying to make, that the F-111 is better to plug the gap for the next ten years while we wait for a new aircraft that may never arrive?
Cabinet decided to buy 24 Super Hornets as a stopgap measure until the new Joint Strike Fighter is delivered in 2014.
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Ex-Air Commander Peter Criss says the Super Hornets are no match for the new Russian Sukhoi fighters that the Indonesians and Chinese are buying.
And the F-111s are?????? I know which plane I would rather go against a Su in, one with an Air-to-Air radar and a BVR weapon.
"Contrary to the claims it's not a fifth generation fighter. It's not stealthy," he said.
No it is not, neither is an F-111, that is why we are buying JSF. What the?
There are also claims that the temporary replacements to the F111s are substandard
Substandard as compared to what???
Plus, in their first hypothetical they had F-111's going downtown to Jakarta in response to militias attacking troops in East Timor. Hardly a likely response, taking out radars and comm facilities in Jakarta is hardly going to have a big impact on militia troops in East Timor, I would think Close Air Support would be a more likely response.
Then in the second hypothetical they had 16 Super Hornets going against a wall of Su-30s. Well how do you think 6 or so serviceable F-111s are going to go against a wall of Su-30s. Again I think I would rather have the Air-to-Air radar, and BVR stand-off weapon.