|
Post by rnzafhusband on Dec 22, 2005 9:29:05 GMT 12
Bruce said "and no-one seems to mind having an Orion spend a couple of days trying to find them. end of whinge.... " Rest assured Bruce, the wives and partners of the dedicated 5Sqn Aircrew and Maintenance teams that are on SAR callout, (imagine a false SAR callout on Christmas or New Years Eve - it happens!) mind alot when there loved ones are called out at 3am in the morning to ready the airframe and then spend 3 days searching for boats that have "accidentally" triggered there beacons or were just plain reckless, careless or ignorant!! Don't get me wrong, SAR is an important capability, but the disruption caused is also distinct. Real rescues are a fantastic and rewarding part of the work the Orions and there fantastic crews do....fruitless searches are just frustrating to all involved! OK, thats the end of my whinge! ;D
|
|
|
Post by Bruce on Dec 22, 2005 11:57:52 GMT 12
I guess my point is that boaties and trampers arent expected to file intention reports (at approx $12.00 each) nor purchase $1200.00 406 MhZ ELTs and $3000.00 transponders. Certainly most pilots do file flightplans for point to point flights, but the latest proposal is that all flights outide the circuit have to file. Its a bit stink for recreational pilots doing thier icecream runs etc, when often they make it up as the go along (subject to fuel etc). Certainly though the commitment of 5Sqn and thier families is very much appreciated and If I was in a spot of bother the shape of a P3 overhead would be about the sweetest thing to see!
|
|
|
Post by corsair67 on Dec 24, 2005 12:33:46 GMT 12
This article is very long, but interesting nevertheless because one of the possible options for the AP-3C Orion replacement consists of a smaller fleet of specialist aircraft supported by the use of UAVs.
Does anyone know if this kind of option has been suggested for the future of the RNZAF? Surely some number-cruncher in Wellington has had a look at this?
Orion awaits replace or refurbish decision Gregor Ferguson December 10, 2005.
TWELVE months ago it was a reasonable bet that Australia would buy into the US Navy's program to develop a replacement for its 220 ageing and increasingly unreliable P3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft. After all, the RAAF plans to either replace or upgrade its own fleet of 18 Orions from about 2015 -- roughly in line with the US Navy's schedule.
But the odds of Defence signing a $300 million cheque to join the so-called system design and demonstration (SDD) phase of the multi-mission maritime aircraft (MMA) program are lengthening by the day. The MMA, like the RAAF's Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft, will be based on the new generation Boeing 737 airliner.
Chronic budget pressures mean Canberra simply can't spend $300 million today on an aircraft which won't enter service for another 10 years. Even the promise of more than $500 million worth of work for Australian companies apparently hasn't swayed the Commonwealth.
However, Defence has firmly denied that it has decided instead to refurbish the Orions once again and extend their lives well beyond 2020.
In a carefully worded statement, The Australian was told: "Contrary to some media reports, a decision to refurbish the ADF's AP3C Orion aircraft has not been made. Defence is continuing to evaluate the options to either refurbish the AP3C or recapitalise with a new aircraft. An updated public defence capability plan is scheduled for release in the future. Until that time it would be inappropriate to speculate on any possible changes to years of decision or in-service date for the AP3C capability."
The RAAF's three options are:
Refurbish the existing Orions; Buy a fleet of MMAs off the shelf; Spend $300 million upfront to help design and build a fleet of aircraft which meets the RAAF's requirements. Many analysts believe refurbishing the Orions is probably Defence's least favoured option. Old aircraft can be prone to expensive failures, while a small fleet of unique and complex aircraft can be expensive to maintain.
The RAAF may, by default, be forced into an off-the-shelf purchase of an aircraft the development of which has been paid for entirely by the US Navy but which may still need modifications to suit Australia's needs.
The chief of the defence force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, has said the 18 Orions will be replaced by eight or nine new or upgraded aircraft and supplemented by a "squadron" of around six long-range unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). These new capabilities will be delivered by Defence's Project Air 7000.
Industry and the RAAF shouldn't have to wait too long to learn the likely fate of the Orions.
The new defence capability plan (DCP) is expected to be released in January or February next year. Nobody in Defence will comment on the budget and schedule for Air 7000 until it appears. The DCP should also tell when the tender process begins for the unmanned aircraft which will be acquired under Phase 1 of Air 7000.
These are to enter service between 2009 and 2011 and the two contenders for this contract, American companies Northrop Grumman and General Atomics, are locked in discussion with Defence over when and how to run an Australian trial of their respective products -- the RQ4A Global Hawk and RQ8A Mariner UAVs.
In September 2004, Prime Minister John Howard surprised many by announcing the Global Hawk and Mariner would be invited to take part in a surveillance trial over Australia's offshore oil and gas installations on the North West Shelf.
Confusingly, the trial is not expected to impact on the outcome of the subsequent tender process -- it is intended to explore how long-range UAVs might mesh into Australia's broader surveillance and communications network.
But neither manufacturer has a demonstrator model it can bring to the trial -- since an early model Global Hawk spent two weeks in Australia in 2001 carrying out a similar evaluation, every Global Hawk built has been pressed into US Air Force or Navy service, while the Mariner is now in US Coastguard service.
Northrop Grumman has teamed with local companies Saab Systems Australia, Tenix Defence and L-3 Communications Australia to design a ground-based control and surveillance infrastructure for Global Hawk which provides a seamless interface with the rest of the ADF's communications and surveillance network.
Meanwhile, General Atomics has teamed with Adelaide company National Air Support, whose subsidiary, Surveillance Australia, is offering the Mariner to both the RAAF under Air 7000 and the Australian Customs Service in its bid to retain its 10-year, $1 billion Coastwatch aerial surveillance contract (which is up for renewal in 2007). Its only rival is Adelaide-based Raytheon Australia. A decision on which contender has won the Coastwatch contract has been due since mid-year.
|
|