OPINION – Int’l JSF partners need to ramp it up
The international partners in the JSF program – including Australia – really need to come together to lobby the US government to recognise the disproportionate share of the early production costs of the F-35 they will be forced to pay in the next five years. The combined partner nation JSF requirement is about 750 aircraft, [...]
OPINION – Clarifying the C-27J FMS case
After doing some additional reading overnight, I just wanted to clarify yesterday’s opinion post, especially regarding the proposed FMS sale. With the cancellation of the US’s C-27J program, the RAAF would not have the benefit of being linked into a ‘parent service’ such as the USAF/ANG for software, electronic warfare and other systems upgrades and [...]
OPINION – Caribou replacement to be deferred?
Word from Defence and industry sources is that the long awaited AIR 8000 Phase 2 battlefield Airlifter (BFA) – i.e. the Caribou replacement – may fall victim to the Gillard Government’s stubborn ‘at all costs’ determination to return to a budget surplus next year. Defence has been trying to replace the Caribou’s fixed wing STOL [...]
OPINION – Bell 429 for RMI is clever marketing
Raytheon Australia’s replacement of its Agusta A109E Power helicopters it has operated since 2007 for the Navy’s Retention and Motivation Initiative (RMI) at Nowra with three new Bell 429s was a clever bit of marketing on the company’s behalf. Not only is Raytheon offering the 429 for the ADF’s AIR 9000 Phase 7 helicopter aircraft [...]
Navy’s RMI retires A109, prepares for 429
The RAN’s 723SQN retired its three Retention and Motivation Initiative (RMI) flight Agusta A109E Powers on March 9, in preparation for the arrival of its first new Bell 429s next month. The retirement ceremony was conducted after a flight around the Nowra and Jervis Bay region by the three A109s, and a water cannon salute [...]
Opinion – Remember the Caribou?
I’ve been writing stories for the past three issues of sister publication ADBR about the seemingly never-ending search for a Caribou replacement for the RAAF. I’ve looked at all the options – official and unofficial – the issues surrounding the US ANG C-27J program, what Airbus is countering with, and the possible timings of it [...]
Opinion – Fly high
Since starting out on this writing caper, I’ve built up and constantly revised my daily reading list. Bloggers and news services have come and gone or have become more or less relevant. But one of the constants has been Neptunus Rex, the blog and pseudonym of retired US Navy F/A-18 pilot, Capt Caroll ‘Lex’ LeFon. [...]
Williamtown RAAF pilot LIFTs local youth
Williamtown-based RAAF F/A-18 pilot SQNLDR Paul Simmons has officially launched a program aimed at youth at risk in the Newcastle and Hunter region. Called LIFT – for Learning, Inspiration, Friendship and Trust – the organisation has been operating since 2009 in collaboration with other youth development organisations and offers tailored and practical aviation based programs that [...]
JSF partners to march on Washington
International partners in the F-35 JSF program are set to meet with US Defense officials in Washington next week to express their dissatisfaction at the continual slowdown in US service acquisition numbers. Many of the partners slated to buy F-35s early in the production run – including Canada, Australia and Italy – reportedly are disappointed [...]
Opinion – Where politics and capability collide
Defence Minister Stephen Smith’s comments at a conference in Canberra this week have reinforced this writer’s perception that Mr Smith either isn’t being properly briefed by his advisers on some of the major defence programs currently underway – specifically the Air 6000 New Air Combat Capability (NACC) project – or that he is ‘target fixated’ [...]
Opinion – The risk of inconsistency
Qantas executives are quick to point out the main influences on the airline’s international business are mainly external ones – competing subsidised foreign airlines, rising fuel costs or delays in the delivery of new aircraft. But these and many other risks are often beyond an airline’s control. Conversely, influences on the business such as quality [...]
