I might be the dumbest defence enthusiast out there but I want our nation secure and demand (well through my vote) that our defence personnel have the best tools available.
It appears a no brainer that we need a full compliment of strike fighters, now we have the F18's in there various models with the growlers yet to come.
I agree we need our Hornets and now long forgotten (king of the sky) F111's
replaced.
As an arm chair general and yes I have been friends with the real (Sir Peter GG) but still I am a nobody but just an Australian
I think our decision is correct to order the F35'a but there are critics against a short squadron of B's in the future.
All the huff and puff is about operating "b's" of the LHD's but wouldn't they be a force multiplier in bare bones airfield?
So long as they are not compromising our main strike fight, I as a taxpayer would be happy to pay for a few extra's
Operating the F-35B from an LHD would be significantly less than ideal in that the LHDs aren't really designed to support sustained fixed wing air, despite the ski jump. From my (admittedly limited) understanding, you could technically operate a limited number of jets, but features such as fuel/munitions storage, elevator locations, deck features etc aren't optimised to suit a "carrier" type role.
A big part of carrier operations is sustaining sortie rates - and a purpose-designed aircraft carrier would put an LHD to shame in that regard. It's not so much that it's impossible, it's that any carrier capability provided by an LHD as designed would be pretty marginal.
I'm sure most Australians who post here would love to see the RAN get back into the carrier game, but at the moment I'd just like to see the initial order of F-35As firmed up and safe from budget cuts before we start talking about using one of only two LHDs to provide a makeshift carrier capability, which would still require significantly more money at a time when all three armed services have procurement requirements, as well as substantial changes in terms of concept of operations and training/crewing requirements. In other words, the cost and capability loss associated with using one of the existing LHDs as a carrier far outstrips (in my opinion) the capability delivered.
Another issue is the sustainment of the capability when not in use. As far as I know, two LHDs means the RAN can have one LHD at sea most of the time, and if properly arranged the RAN can surge the deployment of both at the same time,
sometimes. Now given this arrangement, it seems logical to assume there will be significant stretches of time in which the RAN wishes to deploy one or both LHDs with rotary and small marine assets rather than fixed wing air, such as operations in support of regional disaster relief, or sealift operations to deploy or in support of land forces. So what to do with the F-35Bs, and their pilots and all the associated support staff, when they're not deployed on an LHD? How do you maintain "carrier" qualifications when the capability is so infrequently necessary and thus unlikely to be taken to sea?
Like I said, a lot of people here would like to see a carrier capability back in the RAN. Now it's highly unlikely, but if it were to somehow come true, let it be with a true, purpose-built aircraft carrier, or at the very least a third LHD with design modifications to optimise it for fixed wing operations. Let HMAS Canberra and Adelaide be used in operations for which they are best suited. If the only options were a handful of F-35Bs operating off one of the two existing LHDs or a fourth Hobart-class destroyer and CEAFAR/CEAMOUNT on all the ANZAC-class frigates, I'm afraid I'd take the surface fleet upgrades. Having said that Abe might well tear this post to pieces when/if he reads it, and he's far more knowledgeable about these things than I...
