R.A.N.Helicopter Purchases
 

1964 purchase UH-1B Up to date avonics replaced by world war 2 radios.WHY?

1969/70 Wessex 31A upgraded to 31B.A Royal Navy based unit was fitted with USN based Sonar plus HUDAT. NO AVONICS UP GRADE.Did it work to the required standard .NO. WHY?

1973/75 Wessex to be replaced by the Seaking.A model was specially developed for the RAN. Used no where else in the world.WHY?

1973/74 Kiowa introduced into service for survey ship Moresby.Avonics modified as a retrograde step.WHY?

These are a few examples of the public service Dept. of Defence planning. Generally overriding the uniform serviceman that still is a major problem today as seen by the Seasprite $1 billion mess.

Why should the serviceman and taxpayer be made to pay for this waste.Sack the public servants and replace them with people ability, practicable experience and a desire to help the country and Services.

POMONAMAN43

pomonaman43,
Can answer a couple
UH-1B Commonality - thats what every thing else was fitted with (public service "we got shelves and shelves of these, we can save a bundle". 5 channel crystal tuned a pain in the proverbial) - just a pity they chopped the wiring looms with bolt cutters so it would be difficult to rewire.
Kiowa - When I took delivery of the first one it was bog standard - up to date and a joy. No mods, at least on the first one, had left prior to delivery of the others.

helmet fire, not sure if youre aware the Italians operate 212's off the back of small ships (destroyer/frigates I think) with sonar for the anti sub role.

Helmet Fire, et al.

Steel skids on steel decks - what a blast!

R.A.N. AS350Bs deploying in Frigates as the interim FFG helicopter from 1984 until 1989. Continued embarking even after the Seahawks were introduced and even saw service with the Fleet in the first Gulf War (The FFGs took both a Squirrel and Seahawk).

There's nothing like that sliding feeling when you've just landed on and the ship takes an unexpected 22 degree roll before the Team can lash you down!:eek:

The R.A.N. also flew Scouts and Kiowas (B206) from the survey ship Moresby for many years. A real challenge as the ship was not stabalised and rolled on wet grass.

All I can say is thank goodness for wheels (and the second engine is nice during blue water ops).

Squidly

p.s. East Timor has certainly kicked the Seasprite and Tiger and Munitions and AWB .... from the front page. Anybody heard anything new?

http://www.army.mil/cmh/books/Vietna...images/f20.jpg

http://134.198.33.115/atav/a32.jpg

Helmet Fire,


UH-1's routinely landed on top of LCM's and LCU's with flat tops over the well decks.

Also, Bell 212's and 412's have operated off survey/seismic boats for years.

i dont know what to say? personally, i think that the military isnt much good for anything. they can't even get militia off the streets in dili. i totally agree with bellfest and imabell. yous have got good ideology.

but all this wouldnt stop me from joining up???!!! there's good money to be got, and im starting to understand why.

bally.:D

I say again - I was only taking the piss out of HF!!
GAGS
E86

Don't know what to say? It's better to be quiet and have people think you're stupid than open your mouth and dispel any doubt. Perhaps the situation in East Timor is a little more complex than you would understand.

Took the words right out of my mouth!!
GAGS
E86

Would be, Could be, Should be!!!!
 

Bally,

Mate aren't you the same critter that wants to know who flys up and down the SE QLD strip? Happy smiling faces squawking code 1200? You are somewhat foolish bagging the Mil then stating that you would'nt mind singing up. No system is perfect, the Mil cetrtainly has its problems, however best not to comment if you have never been part of the system.

Any how back to the thread!!!!!!


:=

I would appreciate it if you didn't associate me with your insults of the frontline. My gripe goes way beyond there control and I wouldn't for one minute think I could do a better job:=

sorry about that.

friday-saturday party too much alcohol. your right though, i did say something stupid. the adf is the best in the world, we even taught the americans how to fight during vietnam. i guess i was just upset after watching the gangs in dili with the aussies not capable of doing much. answered by fire on the abc, backs that up back in 1999. notice the gov't didnt help the timorese for 25 yrs until they realised timor was just a stepping stone for the indonesians.

my apologies, but the seasprite is still crap.

bally.

Perhaps I missed something during my two tours in Vietnam, Shag!

I remember it being a collaorative effort with your Lads and Lasses at Nui Dat.

We formed close relationships with those folks as we worked together.

Perhaps the 135th EMU's were not really a joint effort.

Have another beer Bally....then carry on telling us all about Vietnam would you?:ugh:

Wind Up
 

I was waiting for you to latch on to this one SAS. I think our friend knows nothing of 9 SQN, EMU Flight or any of the FAC work that was done "collaboratively" by the combined forces effort.

I can only assume that Bally is attempting a wind up, which means its the perfect time for a perfect quote: "The easiest way to look like a D - - K head is to argue with one, and so I am out when it comes to posts from old mate.

Good luck son enjoy. Punter or Player you decide!!!

Max

:D

I’ve been informed that Mr Bally is in fact Master Bally, so I’ll not ball him out too much. I notice he uses the oz slang yous, usually spelt youse. Someone recently asked me to clarify some of the oz slang seen in certain posts. I found this site which might help.
http://www.anu.edu.au/andc/res/LambertonAND.php
A dictionary of 400 or so strine words / phrases. It doesn’t give the localities of the speech origins.

The origin locality of the word ‘youse’ is hinted at via the ref to Steele Rudd who wrote in hilarious vein about a farmer turned politician back in the 1800’s in SE Queensland. ‘Youse’ is now usually only an idiom of the backblocks.

Here is a class quote from young Bally;
“we even taught the americans how to fight during vietnam”

Perhaps Master Bally could read a recent new release, ‘18 Hours’ by Sandra Lee – Harper Collins publishing. A story about Charlie Company of the 1st Batt, 87 Inf Reg at the US 10th mountain Div and two OZ signallers, where the supreme courage of fresh faced youngsters, all of whom were born after Vietnam finished, one only seventeen, gained for themselves a presidential citation amongst many other decorations during one very unpleasant day in Afghanistan.

Collaboration between themselves and the OZ SAS signals types seconded to the unit was also well noted.

A tone of reverance to the ‘frontliners’ from one so young could be welcome. I am happy to display mine by repeating a quote from a certain Geoge Orwell in the books’ preface.

‘We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would harm us’.

Meanwhile back to the thread, yes the list of useless oz military hardware is endless, one outfit who took the piss out of the latest seasprite debacle with satire and humour was the ABC TV show ‘Chasers war on everything’.

very good!:D

master ball.

Seasprite getting deep-sixed!
 

The Australian

What a sorry affair this has been.

The Australian people were sold a worthless machine, repackaged and modernised into something even more worthless than the original.

I hope they are successful in getting a refund!:eek:

Says a bunch for the procurement team that chose a retreaded 1960's helo over the entire field of more modern machines!

Typical of the ineptitude of the Australian Labor Party re Defence matters!
Navy wanted more Seahawks but government was committed to Offshore Patrol Vessels (subsequently cancelled) in which SH would supposedly not fit.
GAGS
E86

Excellent!!!! Hopefully the New Zealand Govt will buy them, chuck all the crap that the Aussies tried to run them with, and have more great helicopters for the Navy :)
A great little helo, which has been serving very well on the Eastern side of the Tasman Sea. Pity the Aussie Govt stuffed up what should have been a relatively straight forward purchase. Nice work team!!! :ok:

deja vue
 

Well,

If it's anything like the Skyhawk deal a couple of decades ago, the government will pay billions for the retrofit, then give them to the Kiwis gratis. After a year or so, someone will identify the strategic requirement for the Seasprites, then lease the fleet, complete with pilots from the Kiwis....

:ugh: