More news.. I wonder who would be suitable for the review??, anyone what to put their hand up?
The Canberra Times
12 January 2008 - 9:56AM
Fresh eyes needed for jet purchase review
David McLennan
An independent expert with no involvement in past decisions ought to conduct the Government's review of Australia's future air combat capability, a leading defence lobby group said yesterday.New Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon's review is expected to focus on whether the still-in-development Joint Strike Fighter is the right option as the long-term replacement for Australia's aging F-111s and F/A-18s and whether Australia needs 24 Super Hornets, ordered for $6.6 billion by the last government, as a stop-gap option in case the Joint Strike Fighter or F-35 Lightning II is running late.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyst Andrew Davies said that even with "the best will in the world" it was difficult for people involved in past decisions to "step back and start afresh".
"For that reason and to provide a measure of protection against the inevitable furious lobbying that will follow the release of any report the review should be headed up by a well-credentialled independent analyst with experience in the aerospace industry," he said.
Not Carlo PLEASE!!!
The review's first priority was to consider what the air force was expected to do and in what circumstances before looking at the details of each plane.
"At the lower end, the RAAF might be called upon to neutralise the threat from a handful of aircraft operated by a regional air force without the assistance of an Airborne Warning and Control System or air-to-air refuelling," he said.
"At the upper end, operations against a major regional power in the next decade could be opposed by hundreds of capable aircraft backed by AWACS and an integrated air defence system."
The Government would need to decide which threat scenarios were credible and how much it wanted to spend on the capability. If the review reconsidered the F-35 purchase, the new minister ought to formally ask the United States whether it would sell Australia its F-22 Raptor aircraft which is banned for export to determine definitively whether it is an option instead of the F-35.
Many experts say the F-22 is a better aircraft for Australia's needs, although it is more expensive and detractors say it does not have the strike capabilities of the F-35.
Other options include the F-15 Eagle, Dassault Rafael, Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen.
Australia is expected to make a decision on final approval of the project late this year, but Dr Davies said there would be "little downside of deferring that decision until later".
How long can Australia wait?...
However, a decision needed to be made sooner on whether the Super Hornet order should be cancelled because the cost of such a decision would increase with time.
"As a matter of priority, the review should examine hard data on relative performance much of which is not public and decide whether the Super Hornet is a viable bridging capability that will allow time to develop a long-term solution," he said.
Mr Fitzgibbon has been highly critical of the process behind the Super Hornet purchase.
Critics have said it is not advanced enough to combat more modern aircraft in the region, such as the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 Flankers.
Cheers