Most of you have probably already read this from
C4ISR.
Here it goes anyway, for those that haven't.
RAAF chief addresses capability concerns
By Paul Richfield
March 23, 2007
A planned acquisition of 24 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets by 2010 will ensure Australia’s air combat capability in the lead up to the introduction of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, according to the top Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) officer.
Speaking March 23 at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon, Victoria, Air Marshal Geoff Shepherd sought to allay fears that the Super Hornet would come up short if forced to do battle with nations employing advanced Russian fighter designs, such as the Sukhoi Su-30.
“I flew the Su-30 in India and yes, it’s a big, fast, highly maneuverable airplane,” Shepherd said. “But it’s not a networked airplane like the Super Hornet. Still, the JSF is the main game for us, and the Super Hornet – not the F-111 – is the aircraft to take us there.”
No problems with the Super Hornet procurement are expected, Shepherd said, given the RAAF’s long experience with the first-generation Hornet and other U.S. programs. “We’ve got great support from the U.S. Navy and from the Pentagon,” he said. “We know the program office and we know the people.”
Shepherd emphasized that the RAAF’s air combat power is not a function of the Super Hornet, JSF or any other specific platform, but how all elements combine to support a multi-level net-centric warfare concept. “People, training, doctrine, facilities – all will play an equally important role,” he said.
And, although the Super Hornet and the JSF might not be able to fly as fast as some “fifth generation” fighters now in the works in other nations, advanced radars and weapons make the difference irrelevant, he said.
“Everything is geared toward engagements beyond visual range,” said Group Capt. Steve “Zed” Roberton, head of the RAAF’s air combat transition office. “The key is being able to get off the first effective shot and information dominance, not top speed, is the critical factor in that.”
“In a maneuvering fight, turning, pointing and bringing weapon to bear is more important than raw speed,” Roberton added. “Even the most ardent opponents of Super Hornet acknowledge that its [active electronically scanned array] radar is unmatched. As a ‘bridging’ aircraft, it gives us what we need to take us through 2020.”
Should Australia’s expected purchase of up to 100 JSFs slip to the right, the RAAF is prepared to adjust its plan, according to Shepherd. “We’re honoring the possibility of keeping the Super Hornets over their full life,” he said.
First-generation Hornets in the RAAF inventory will still have a key role after the F-18Fs arrive, according to Air Cdre. Mark Binskin, the service’s capability planning director. An upgrade to 71 first-generation Hornets will proceed as planned, he said, with funding assured for 49 “center barrel” fuselage replacements.
A determination on the final number of center barrel replacements is pending, however. “We’re reviewing those numbers but it’s expected that the ‘classics’ will still be with us in 2018,” Binskin said.
Regarding delays to the Boeing 737-based Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft program, Shepherd described the situation as “irksome,” but one that nonetheless “allows us to get all the training and doctrine straightened out.”
---------------------
There is also this piece in C4ISR.
AESA radar key to Block II Super Hornets
(Good stuff they have on that site.)
