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The Forum > Article Comments > Why 'fifth gen' helps me sleep at night > Comments

Why 'fifth gen' helps me sleep at night : Comments

By Baz Bardoe, published 24/12/2013

In order to be able to invade Australia a potential aggressor needs to be able to land significant occupying forces here. And they can't do that if they don't own the skies. The F35 is intended to be the ultimate deterrent.

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undivided/quote..<<..Where are all these F35's going to land after they've bombed the crap out of this planet ?>>

they wont take off
if forced by threat..they shall revert..to self destruction
you forget..these guys though doped up/on speed..[thats the only way these things can/be 'flown'..arnt stupid]..its the drones..they will take divine intervention..funny it will validate free movement..in time and space..[see ross kelly..for the love of ana][ana=the sun]..not god..[just as we each in-time..too can evolve into living stars

but..dont worry..wether...huh-man..or angel
wont need to arise./.those thinking they can..are deceived by satanists..fools half-wits and yes-men[the powerful fear power..so thus sow their own..end..regardless of what way they go..more clever/than them/use them[and any-less clever are fools[fools cant be trusted]..its catch 22[point 2]

in today repeat..of alex jones..they even CLAIM..a unique gene
we are all inter-related..[and we know what scientists will/can do for money..we saw it with the green scams[the melted poles?..lo/look at it snow/the hockey stick..lol..go see the prediction..versis the reality..

media simply isnt telling no-one about.

pathetic

anyhow IF..[big if]..the bombers do..go..
just sit by a bank..they dont bomb banks
[they payed for EVERY war..not even called..the war]
even the drug war money..they launder..yep just go sit near the empty..vaults...looters need their booty safe*..be safe next to a big safe.

ps the bomber boats..got remote self destruct
but dying a few days early..so what.

heaven..is better than this hell
just dont fear no..evil..live by love..or its not a usefull/life.
Posted by one under god, Thursday, 26 December 2013 9:04:10 AM
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Hi folks,
Thanks for all the comments. The article was never intended to be a definitive piece on Australia's defence, and yes it is very aero-centric - I like stuff that flies. Obviously F35's will be part of a holistic approach to defence, with the other services and their respective hardware.
When I was a kid I used to always imagine that by 2014 humanity would be involved in the peaceful exploration of space, and we would have solved many of the major problems that plague us. Sadly that isn't the case. In the current environment I think most people accept we need to be proactive to ensure our safety - I accept that there will be many different ideas about how this might be achieved. There is a line of thought that suggests that the large scale movement of people and complex webs of cross border investment mean that large scale wars may no longer take place - perhaps that could be the subject of another article?
Also I completely accept that more lines of code doesn't mean better, and in fact greater complexity can be fraught, but the main detail is the vast improvement in situational awareness and adaptability.
I think someone described me as a 'dull witted propagandist'. I am not too sure about the former, and as for the latter whilst I am an aircraft fan this is very much my personal opinion.
Great to see people engaging in such passionate debate on an important subject, and some stuff to ponder for sure.
Posted by Baz B, Saturday, 28 December 2013 12:37:52 PM
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In "Why 'fifth gen' helps me sleep at night" (24 December 2013) Baz Bardoe describes the advanced features of the fifth generation F-35 aircraft. But the F-35 is years behind the original schedule and many billions of dollars over budget. There is a good chance the F-35 will be completed, but it will take years to develop the capabilities of the complex computer systems on the aircraft and it may never do all that has been promised.

In the interim Australia has the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in service. These are much less capable than the F-35 is planned to be, but they are available and proven. The F/A-18E/F was to be a stop-gap measure until the F-35 was available, but it looks like they will be retained alongside the F-35 (assuming the F-35 is acquired).

While the F-35 is a stealthy aircraft it is not completely invisible to radar. Australia has ordered the electronic warfare version of the F/A-18E/F, called the EA-18G "Growler". This can detect and jam enemy radar. The Growler can also fire missiles which home in on and destroy radar sites, making the radar operators reluctant to turn them on. The RAAF would use the Growlers to clear a path for F/A-18E/F and F-35.

It should be kept in mind that Australia is a large island surrounded by large expanses of water. Attack aircraft would have difficulty finding their targets and reaching them, without far less glamorous new aircraft in service with the RAAF. These are modified airliners, including the Boeing 737 AEW&C E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft, and the Airbus A330 KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT). These have not been without development problems: the Wedgetail's radar software took longer than expected and a refuelling boom fell of a KC-30A, but they are now both in service.

Australia will also likely order the Boeing 737 P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine warfare and electronic intelligence aircraft for patrolling large ocean areas (already ordered by India). The P-8 has provision to carry a long-range high-resolution air-to-surface radar, which could be used over both sea and land.
Posted by tomw, Thursday, 2 January 2014 9:12:59 AM
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Hi tomw

I'm in full agreement that Australian air operations involve a range of aircraft doing different jobs.

This, to a degree, deflates the claims of the author, a serving RAAF officer, that the F-35 is a silver bullet solution that Australia must buy at all costs.

Australia does not have to buy 100 F-35s, a nice round number mooted in Defence White Papers, a smaller number integrated with other aircraft types is more realistic.

The opportunity cost of buying 100 F-35s would include severely delaying or cancelling Australia's much needed SEA 1000 future submarine project - see http://gentleseas.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/australian-naval-shipbuilding-and.html .

Cheers

Pete
Posted by plantagenet, Thursday, 2 January 2014 9:32:11 AM
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While Australia seems to now have a reasonably balanced to fighter aircraft acquisition: buying some F/A-18E/F & Gs now and F-35s later (if they work), the SEA 1000 future submarine project does not have that level of pragmatism about it. The plan seems to be to buy US nuclear power submarines and if Australia can't have them then build a bespoke conventionally powered equivalent. But nuclear powered submarines are not politically feasible for Australia and a conventional equivalent is not feasible, nor is it clear what strategic need this would satisfy.

The smaller conventional submarines available off the shelf from European makers would be suitable for defending Australia's maritime approaches. About the only use for a larger vessel is to strategically threaten countries far from our shores. As those countries could respond with nuclear weapons, Australia would be making its strategic environment less secure as a result.

Given the difficulties with building the Collins class submarine, the chances of a larger more complex construction being successful are close to nil. Also Australia would have difficulty finding enough highly trained sailors to operate very large submarines.

Instead I suggest Australia could acquire European designed submarines, with systems proven to interoperate with NATO allies (including the USA). The first few could be quickly and cheaply built in Europe and later ones in Australia (if this is required for political reasons).

Assuming the two Canberra-class landing helicopter dock ships being built by Spanish company Navantia are successful, then the obvious choice would be their S-80-class submarine. This is not because the S-80 is more advanced than other designs (or without problems), but that there is a reasonable chance of them being built at an affordable cost and timetable.
Posted by tomw, Friday, 17 January 2014 3:32:09 PM
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US plans to sell V-22 Osprey exclusively to Israel
http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-plans-to-sell-v-22-osprey-exclusively-to-israel/?

Purchase of six advanced aircraft is part of a proposed weapons package worth NIS 4 billion; Congress has two weeks to object.


Congress won't object. It's an election year!
http://www.infowars.com/nuke-commander-purge-another-34-missile-launch-officers-terminated-by-air-force/

And I don't know why they use the word "sell" when the US Government gives Israel your money with which to buy the planes. They might as well say "give.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/01/15/345819/israel-hijacked-us-military-since-911/

http://ftmdaily.com/daily-briefing/011614/

http://rt.com/news/hypersonic-vehicle-missile-china-665/

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/15/truth-israels-secret-nuclear-arsenal

http://intellihub.com/2014/01/16/shell-oil-refinery-mysteriously-explodes-in-germany-creating-carcinogenic-soot/
Posted by one under god, Friday, 17 January 2014 3:50:36 PM
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