In Kopp’s assessment, it is because the Australian Department of Defence (ADoD) lacks the internal capacity to properly assess and define Australian air superiority requirements; suggesting that the ADoD has based their next generation platform requirements on “briefings provided by foreign contractors supplying replacement equipment.”
Kopp therefore is not surprised that Canberra is now considering the F/A-18 Super Hornet as a possible gap alternative to the F-35 despite the fact that “the F/A-18F has similar performance and capability deficiencies to the F-35, and is equally incapable of credibly performing against modern regional threats.” In his view, ADoD is just repeating a long-established pattern of behavior in choosing products without aligning them with air superiority requirements
Monday, September 12, 2011
More on the discussion of Australian air-superiority
The discussion continues; although, with a lack of participation by any sane senior Defence leadership.
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6 comments:
Just a question, do any of those involved ever study history. Even one point, "surprise", as is happening regularly, eg J20 etc
Formulate it wider: Does AUSTRALIA have an idea of its defence requirements, one that is in line with geostrategic and economic and demographic realities??
And what are your academic and real world qualifications "Rex"
Once again proving my contention that the Gripen NG is a far better "fit" for Australia as a fighter acquisition than the F-35. Heck, you could buy 2-to-1 for the price of the F-35 at this point if going Gripen NG, and that's just on purchase price, not including sustainment.
The alternative, of course, is to just simply switch over entirely and go F-15 family for air superiority.
Heretic
In my opinion, F-35 is now over. It's a question how to break it politically. But from military and budget point of view. It's over.
There isn't a single argument that can sustain F-35.
You could always have longe range strike with perfectly suited aerodynamically efficient airframes and long range standoff weapons to balance the equation. Some could also be configured to undetake jamming.
Oh wait, Angus scrappped them.
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