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Post by kiwiruna on Jan 13, 2023 13:04:04 GMT 12
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Post by mcmaster on Jan 13, 2023 22:59:52 GMT 12
Very interesting thx Kiwiruna. Sad to see the decline of the RCAF, with the F35 saga not just delaying procurement of the CF-18 replacement but seemingly accelerating the serious retention issue of pilots and maintainers. They don’t want to go to exercises (or war) alongside allies with dated/inferior gear and are sick of Governments not backing them. Parallels with the RNZAF? I think he said they have pulled out of NATO air policing in Romania to focus on rebuilding the air combat force. Given the RCAFs history of fighters in Europe up to the 90s and early 00’s that’s pretty sad..and the ultimate insult was the buying of second hand Hornets from their smaller brother arm, the RAAF.
The F35 became a political play thing over there. In Aus defence is thankfully more bipartisan, probably has to do with Aus not having the US next door and some scary regional players. Climate policy has been the political football in Aus - so we are not immune - but thats another story.
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Post by richard1098 on Jan 14, 2023 12:39:21 GMT 12
Very interesting thx Kiwiruna. Sad to see the decline of the RCAF, with the F35 saga not just delaying procurement of the CF-18 replacement but seemingly accelerating the serious retention issue of pilots and maintainers. They don’t want to go to exercises (or war) alongside allies with dated/inferior gear and are sick of Governments not backing them. Parallels with the RNZAF? I think he said they have pulled out of NATO air policing in Romania to focus on rebuilding the air combat force. Given the RCAFs history of fighters in Europe up to the 90s and early 00’s that’s pretty sad..and the ultimate insult was the buying of second hand Hornets from their smaller brother arm, the RAAF. The F35 became a political play thing over there. In Aus defence is thankfully more bipartisan, probably has to do with Aus not having the US next door and some scary regional players. Climate policy has been the political football in Aus - so we are not immune - but thats another story. It will be interesting to see how long their CP-140 (P-3) replacement project takes. It's been a long time since the RAAF was the RCAF's smaller brother, perhaps before the days of the F-111. It's not only numbers, its also the range of capabilities that the RCAF can't match: E-7, EA-18G, KC-30, P-8, JASSM, and soon MQ-4C, MC-55, and LRASM. |
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Post by mcmaster on Jan 14, 2023 14:04:41 GMT 12
It's been a long time since the RAAF was the RCAF's smaller brother, perhaps before the days of the F-111. It's not only numbers, its also the range of capabilities that the RCAF can't match: E-7, EA-18G, KC-30, P-8, JASSM, and soon MQ-4C, MC-55, and LRASM. I agree and was thinking more of Aus still being smaller in economic terms ie GDP. Here’s hoping the F35 and other buys such as the Type 26 give them a needed boost. |
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Post by Antonio on Jan 14, 2023 18:15:01 GMT 12
It will be interesting to see how long their CP-140 (P-3) replacement project takes. It's been a long time since the RAAF was the RCAF's smaller brother, perhaps before the days of the F-111. It's not only numbers, its also the range of capabilities that the RCAF can't match: E-7, EA-18G, KC-30, P-8, JASSM, and soon MQ-4C, MC-55, and LRASM. If I remember correctly the CP-140 was also an issue - especially with the (outdated?) S-2 gubbins in the back. Weren't there issues with the F-18 purchase as well? |
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Post by snaphead on Jan 16, 2023 8:56:02 GMT 12
At least they have a combat wing!!!
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