AD are you really putting Australia up there as one of the most advanced air forces world wide?
Yep.
I was talking technology, not "size" which some people here are concerned with.
F-111? F-18? Bous? Thats what we have now..
Our F/A-18's are amongst the most advanced on Earth. They have the ALR-67(v3) RWR, which is the same as used in the IDECM EW system on the Super Hornet. They have tested and are in the process of receiving SAAB BOL countermeasure dispensers, along with the normal ALE-47, which provides an enormous boost in the numbers of deployable countermeasures. They have a new ELTA active self-protection jammer being integrated, which has stunned everyone with it's capability in recent EW exercises.
That's an impressive EW capability.
They have the ASRAAM missile integrated with JHMCS (the first user to completely do this) and have just conducted the world's first" lock on after launch" firing profile at extreme high off-boresite angles (the target was actually BEHIND the firing platform).
What this means is that RAAF's Hornets have effectively achieved an F-35 like capability in that it can launch missiles at aircraft BEHIND the Hornet without needing to manoeuvre to engage them. An aircraft that cannot do this, MUST manoeuvre to get a firing solution.Technology has negated this requirement with consequent obvious benefits in range performance and fuel burn. Even the USA does not have this capability. Yet.
The F/A-18's are integrating the AGM-158 JASSM. Australia is the only allied nation currently authorised to acquire this weapon. Finland tried and was rejected. JASSM is the world's first 400k ranged, very low observable standoff missile.
They subsequently settled on AGM-154 JSOW instead. Which we ALSO have on order, with first weapons delivery for JSOW and other weapons in the Super Hornet package.
We have Bous and F-111s? We also have C-130J-30, C-17A and special forces modified C-130H's too... How many Countries HAVE C-17A? The answer is that we are in the top 4... Special forces modified Hercs? A very select crowd...
The Bous are gone before the end of the year.
F-111's are gone by the end of next year (effectively). Their replacement is the Super Hornet, already in production and offering new technologies such as LO features, AESA radar, towed active radar decoy systems, HART etc, which are features SH and newer aircraft possess and nothing else does. 12x of our Supers will be wired for Growler capability.
RAAF operates the Litening AT targetting pod with the ROVER tactical data-link (download) capability. Few countries can boast this. In 2010 we will operate ATFLIR. The 2nd Country in the world to do so...
Soon yes, F-35's, F-18 SH with growler capable wiring and possibly pods, Wedgetail etc. Soon Australia will field one of the most capable defence forces world wide with full spectrum capabilities (except a known nuclear weapon but that is irrelivant these days). Placing us possibly ahead of France, Germany, UK, the Dutch when concidering the naval, air and ground capabilities (not in sheer numbers of course, but in terms of what we can offer).
But not today.
Yes, we are improving, but you are not seriously looking at our current capabilities...
I would also haggle that Japans AF is not exactly brimming with moderness either. Early 1980's vintage F-15's and 1970's era F-4's...
But as for who has the lowest average age for an airframe? Dunno? Swedes?
Japan's F-2 operates an AESA fire control radar. Japan operates a very large and highly upgraded P-3C Orion fleet.
They have a relatively new E-767 AWACS capability, featuring an extensive Japanese avionics load. The Japanese are somewhat known for their electronics capability, I understand...