http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/11/14/the-blue-sky-marketing-madness-of-the-f-35/ now with extra source Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:29:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/11/14/the-blue-sky-marketing-madness-of-the-f-35/#comment-8347 Tony Oldfield Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-8347 I'm puzzled.<br />Why doesn't the Australian Government address the refusal of the US Senate to deny its best and most loyal (sycophantic) ally the opportunity to purchase the Raptor?<br />Surely now is the time to invite the Russians to bring the Sukhoi out to the Australasian area on a series of demonstration and capability flights.<br />This may persuade the new US Senate and the new President that it might be more important for loyal allies to be guaranteed air superiority rather than being shot down by near neighbour's demonstrably superiour Sukhois.<br />In the end, we need to acquire superior aircraft.<br />If the new President & Congress will not support our approach, then what's the point of purchasing inferior aircraft to Sukhois?<br />Get the Russkies out quickly.<br />Bet that gets a better response than the recent Senate rejection of an ally that has blindly supported them in Vietnam & Iraq!<br />Who is asking these questions of the government?<br />We don't need another Brendan Nelson disaster!<br /> I’m puzzled.
Why doesn’t the Australian Government address the refusal of the US Senate to deny its best and most loyal (sycophantic) ally the opportunity to purchase the Raptor?
Surely now is the time to invite the Russians to bring the Sukhoi out to the Australasian area on a series of demonstration and capability flights.
This may persuade the new US Senate and the new President that it might be more important for loyal allies to be guaranteed air superiority rather than being shot down by near neighbour’s demonstrably superiour Sukhois.
In the end, we need to acquire superior aircraft.
If the new President & Congress will not support our approach, then what’s the point of purchasing inferior aircraft to Sukhois?
Get the Russkies out quickly.
Bet that gets a better response than the recent Senate rejection of an ally that has blindly supported them in Vietnam & Iraq!
Who is asking these questions of the government?
We don’t need another Brendan Nelson disaster!

]]> http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/11/14/the-blue-sky-marketing-madness-of-the-f-35/#comment-8348 Costa Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-8348 Couldn't agree more. Eurofighter would be the best option. Does Many Things Very Well.<br />There might be some money left over for a small, say 12, purchase of F-22's to take care of Top<br />Cover and scare the bejesus out of our Northern Neighbours. Couldn’t agree more. Eurofighter would be the best option. Does Many Things Very Well.
There might be some money left over for a small, say 12, purchase of F-22’s to take care of Top
Cover and scare the bejesus out of our Northern Neighbours.

]]> http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/11/14/the-blue-sky-marketing-madness-of-the-f-35/#comment-8349 Stoka Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-8349 I don't see much evidence of basic common sense in the decision to buy this aircraft. There is plenty of hard empirical data that it doesn't have the range, speed or firepower to do the job given the landmass of Australia or the adversaries it's likely to have to face. The amount of money being squandered beggars belief. For not much more we could be buying the F22, a much more appropriate choice. We're being sold this plane to keep a bunch of greedy spivs in pinstriped suits on the Lockheed Martin payroll happy, because if the F35 doesn't make it commercially their heads will roll.<br />At the very least you need a mix of aircraft - how on earth is a short range, single engine plane going to replace the F111 adequately? Tankers? What if the Sukhoi's on your opponents side shoots down your tankers while you're in transit to or from the target? Answer: You'd be stuffed.<br />In the case the Yanks won't sell us the F22 our best option might be to patch up our old F111's and buy a bunch of SU35's off the Russians. I don’t see much evidence of basic common sense in the decision to buy this aircraft. There is plenty of hard empirical data that it doesn’t have the range, speed or firepower to do the job given the landmass of Australia or the adversaries it’s likely to have to face. The amount of money being squandered beggars belief. For not much more we could be buying the F22, a much more appropriate choice. We’re being sold this plane to keep a bunch of greedy spivs in pinstriped suits on the Lockheed Martin payroll happy, because if the F35 doesn’t make it commercially their heads will roll.
At the very least you need a mix of aircraft - how on earth is a short range, single engine plane going to replace the F111 adequately? Tankers? What if the Sukhoi’s on your opponents side shoots down your tankers while you’re in transit to or from the target? Answer: You’d be stuffed.
In the case the Yanks won’t sell us the F22 our best option might be to patch up our old F111’s and buy a bunch of SU35’s off the Russians.

]]> http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/11/14/the-blue-sky-marketing-madness-of-the-f-35/#comment-8350 ScottyMac Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-8350 All this talk about the F-22 Raptor when the yanks haven't even deloyed it on operations yet. Is it shy? Who is to know that F22 isn't a lemon itself? The fact that they can't figure out the F35 has me sceptical of all so-called 5th generation fighter programs. All this talk about the F-22 Raptor when the yanks haven’t even deloyed it on operations yet. Is it shy? Who is to know that F22 isn’t a lemon itself? The fact that they can’t figure out the F35 has me sceptical of all so-called 5th generation fighter programs.

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