Being pessimistic IS boring
HLC - thanks. I should have opened a book or two.
Scran - you are right, IOC is the Navy' first embarked flight planned mid 2010. First Army capability milestone is a troop ready in Apr 2011.
AFGAN - the NFH has suffered delays, and I'm sure the guys in Marignane know much more about it than I do. Last time I visited, we only discussed the TTH variant.
The ADF is trying as hard as it can to not make the same mistakes. Yes the MRH 90 is specifically configured for Australian service, but in this instance we have deliberately not ordered bespoke Australian mods. Every one of the options we have specified for the MRH 90 is from an available list of certifiable configurations offered by NHI, and every one of them was specified by at least one other country at the beginning of the design life of the aircraft. This has been a deliberate approach to manage risk with the project.
We have not fitted Seahawk engines to the NH90, we haven't put a Super Puma stab on, or Home Brand avionics; we don't have to struggle through certification for an Aussie mongrel. We have bought an aircraft with options certified by the manufacturer, removing risk from our program.
If we did go with NFH 90 in the future, it would be a good decision - there is genuine commonality between the MRH and the NFH 90. Maybe the NFH will be 'proven' by the time the Seahawks are all tuckered out. After all, the first MRH 90 squadron capability will only be on line in 2012. "What? 2012? In my day we would have a squadron stood up by morning tea!" Well we've been pretty busy over the past few years, and will be for a few more. This is what we can do.