Jackonicko
If only your sprit could be realised by your Ashes team!
The F111 has been a great success for the Australain taxpayer. The contigency plan in 1971 if the F111s problems persisted were as follows. Scrap the project and add another 24 Phantoms to the already 24 leased, aswell as 8 Recce Phantoms. In addition to the extra Phantoms, because of the range problems of the F4 in our defence context, 8 KC135s were to come with the package. Not sure if Mirage squadrons to be scrapped to facilitate the burden of manpower in doubling the bomber fleet.
So, forward to 2002. A force of F111s, still offering good capabilities( incoming ) as opposed to the Goliath F4 fleet above. The savings are in the billions! Could have done with the KC135s though.
Spitfires-huh. P40s had already turned the tide, in our time of need, before Churchill decided to send his clapped out Spitfires. Most were lost in engine failures. The foolish RAAF buy British almost cost us dearly. A fleet of P40s at the beginning of the war, the Yanks did offer, would have made a significant difference to theMalaya/Singapore campaign before they stemmed the tide in New Guinea.
Meteors- Yanks diddled us, we needed Sabres.
Hunter-worked out better having state of the art Mirages in the early sixties. Imagine being stuck with a fleet of Hunters in the seventies.
We don't see much of you in our part of the world, may be better to stick to American kit.
Last edited by Gnadenburg; 4th Dec 2002 at 01:37.