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Post by macnz on Jul 26, 2014 2:12:51 GMT 12
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Post by 11SQNLDR on Jul 27, 2014 11:53:22 GMT 12
Thanks for posting - a very informative and well made doco on the controversial programme!
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Post by beagle on Jul 27, 2014 19:12:24 GMT 12
I reckon it's an ugly looking thing.
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Post by richard1098 on Oct 1, 2014 19:30:41 GMT 12
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Post by macnz on Oct 13, 2014 12:06:32 GMT 12
As Australia accepted its first LHD last Friday to be delivered to RAN 28 Nov [see 1 at bottom for link] there was also an article published by ADM's Tom Muir [see 2 at bottom for link] about the government's ambitions to field F-35Bs on the LHDs. In Brief: Australia's LHD 'as aircraft carrier' headache It has been widely reported that in the lead up to the 2015 Defence White Paper, Prime Minister Tony Abbott ordered Defence to assess the benefits of F-35B jump jets and converting the Canberra class Landing Helicopter Docks (LHD) to accommodate them. “In 2012 ...a highly classified Operational Analysis Supporting Paper which indicated that “planners have grave doubts about the capabilities of the jump jets. According to the newspaper, the conventional variant was 'more effective than the jump jet in almost all cases'. The key issue identified was that the F-35B STOVL version carried less fuel than other the other versions, reducing weapons payloads and reducing the amount of time the aircraft could spend over a target area....For a target 300 nautical miles away from the aircraft carrier, the jump jet can spend only 20 minutes over its target before turning back, compared with 80 minutes for the conventional jet.” 29 April 2014 estimated basic costs per aircraft (the airframe, engines and avionics): US$105.5 million – F-35B STOVL variant US$89.7 million – F-35C carrier version (1) Australia receives first Canberra-class LHD Source: www.janes.com/article/44335/australia-receives-first-canberra-class-lhd(2) Australia's LHD 'as aircraft carrier' headache Source : www.australiandefence.com.au/news/australia-s-lhd-as-aircraft-carrier-headache
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