Royal Australian Air Force [RAAF] News, Discussions and Updates

[ngatimozart]

Presumably done to allow RNZAF and maybe pollies to get a look.
Hope it helps convince them to spend some money.
Edit - Sorry, forgot for a second about the RNZN celebrations. Obviously that is the reason.

No pretty sure that's not the reason because the International Naval Revue Flypast is Saturday 19th November and the Ceremonial fleet Entrance, Thursday 17th November. There are naval exercises involving ships, the RAN Collins Class sub, naval helos and fixed wing military aircraft in the Hauraki gulf region and further offshore at the moment. NZ pollies, defence personnel and hangers on got to have a look through and flight of a USN P8 that was here for a week earlier on this year. It came out specifically for that.

 

[Joe Black]

The 2 seater Super Hornets were seen as a better fit for the primary land and maritime strike roles they inherited in 1 Sqn when they replaced the F-111.

They of course retain all the air to air capability of the -E model minus some range and fuel.

To add to this, RAAF is also upgrading existing Super Hornets.
First step in Super Hornet upgrade - Royal Australian Air Force

 

[ngatimozart]

Video of the first RAAF P8 arriving at RAAF Edinburgh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E29WWC_AEE

 

[Oberon]

Video of the first RAAF P8 arriving at RAAF Edinburgh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E29WWC_AEE

Fairbairn (Canberra ) actually. I think this is what gf was referring to a couple of weeks ago when he said he was getting to do a walk through of the new P8 when it arrived in Australia.

Does anyone know if all the P8s are going to 11 SQN? I would have preferred 10 SQN to get the P8s but I guess they will be getting the Tritons instead.

 

[rossfrb_1]

Video of the first RAAF P8 arriving at RAAF Edinburgh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E29WWC_AEE

Interestingly at 1:00 minute the speaker says "...this is aircraft one, there are 14 siblings to come...."
I thought there was a confirmed buy of 8 with an option for 4 more?
Hmmmm
rb

OK found a reference suggesting up to 15
http://australianaviation.com.au/2016/05/first-flight-for-raafs-first-p-8-poseidon/

 

[alexsa]

Interestingly at 1:00 minute the speaker says "...this is aircraft one, there are 14 siblings to come...."
I thought there was a confirmed buy of 8 with an option for 4 more?
Hmmmm
rb

My reading of the white paper was 15. This was supported by recent announcements. It is a pretty good outcome when you think 15 P-8s plus 7 MQ-4 Triton will replace 19 AP-3C aircraft.

 

[ngatimozart]

Fairbairn (Canberra ) actually. I think this is what gf was referring to a couple of weeks ago when he said he was getting to do a walk through of the new P8 when it arrived in Australia.

Does anyone know if all the P8s are going to 11 SQN? I would have preferred 10 SQN to get the P8s but I guess they will be getting the Tritons instead.

OK, I presumed and forgot I had read this on Wednesday. Apologies. The info I have is: "The P-8 flew as "Sealion 54" from Avalon to Canberra 16 November then onto Edinburgh as "Sealion 55" 17 November." It had flown Auckland to Avalon on Monday 14th as ASY211 after arriving in Auckland from Hickham late arvo on Saturday November 12th. The blog, MRC, is fairly reliable.

 

[ADMk2]

Interestingly at 1:00 minute the speaker says "...this is aircraft one, there are 14 siblings to come...."
I thought there was a confirmed buy of 8 with an option for 4 more?
Hmmmm
rb

OK found a reference suggesting up to 15
First flight for RAAF’s first P-8A Poseidon | Australian Aviation

12 have already been confirmed, with the WP allowing for 3 more to be added to this fleet.

 

[Oberon]

OK, I presumed and forgot I had read this on Wednesday. Apologies. The info I have is: "The P-8 flew as "Sealion 54" from Avalon to Canberra 16 November then onto Edinburgh as "Sealion 55" 17 November." It had flown Auckland to Avalon on Monday 14th as ASY211 after arriving in Auckland from Hickham late arvo on Saturday November 12th. The blog, MRC, is fairly reliable.

No apology necessary. Do you know whether NZ MoD and RNZAF personnel did a walk through while it was in Auckland?

 

[ngatimozart]

No apology necessary. Do you know whether NZ MoD and RNZAF personnel did a walk through while it was in Auckland?

They might have, but a USN one was here earlier this year for a week specifically for NZG bods etc., to have a walk through and some had a local flight.

 

[hauritz]

My reading of the white paper was 15. This was supported by recent announcements. It is a pretty good outcome when you think 15 P-8s plus 7 MQ-4 Triton will replace 19 AP-3C aircraft.

Actually 15 P-8, 7 MQ-4 and several Gulfstream G550 Special mission aircraft to replace the AP-3C.

 

[John Newman]

Does anyone know if all the P8s are going to 11 SQN? I would have preferred 10 SQN to get the P8s but I guess they will be getting the Tritons instead.

I do remember reading something a while ago (maybe it was AA magazine?), where it was suggested that 10 and 11 Sqns were both to be re-equipped with P-8As, but I haven't seen the same thing reported elsewhere since.

Regardless of if both Sqns do or don't, I'd imagine that at some stage (when enough P-8A airframes start to enter service with 11 Sqn), that their AP-3C airframes will be handed over to 10 Sqn to continue operational service.

Probably something similar when the SHornets replaced the F-111C's, 1 Sqn handed its airframes to 6 Sqn, 1 Sqn re-equipped with SHornets and then eventually 6 Sqn parked its airframes and took delivery of the remaining SHornets.

Until there is something official, it could go a number of ways, 10 and 11 Sqns both with P-8As and Triton in a new Sqn (or spread across both?), or 11 Sqn with the P-8A's and 10 Sqn with Triton.

Have to wait and see!

 

[blueorchid]

I do remember reading something a while ago (maybe it was AA magazine?), where it was suggested that 10 and 11 Sqns were both to be re-equipped with P-8As, but I haven't seen the same thing reported elsewhere since.
!

You are correct John, the same number of crews will be retained, both 10 & 11 Sqns will consist of P-8 Poseidons. Adding the third squadron to 92 Wing of Tritons

(RAAF’s Maritime Surveillance Ability To Surge With P-8s, MQ-4s

Nov 18, 2016

Bradley Perrett | Aviation Week & Space Technology)

 

[pussertas]

P3a's for Firefightimg?

With the arrival of the !st P8 one wonders if the retiring P3a fleet could be re-engineered for a fire fighting role?

:grab

 

[John Newman]

With the arrival of the !st P8 one wonders if the retiring P3a fleet could be re-engineered for a fire fighting role?

:grab

Wouldn't hold my breath on that one.

Two years ago they started scrapping the first three airframes withdrawn from service:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUNN_IynV9c

At that time the fleet was reduced from 19 to 16.

What I did read at the time was that as the AP-3C retirement process moves on (obviously as P-8A's numbers build and enter service), that 'some' airframes with 'historical' significant would be kept.

 

[hairyman]

From News.com.au 13/12/16
THE controversial F-35 stealth fighter program, which Australia plans on investing $A24 billion into for more than 70 planes, has been slammed by US President-elect Donald Trump.

The Lockheed Martin-produced aircraft are a key component of defence forces in the US, Australia, Britain, Japan and other allies, but have been dogged by cost blowouts and other problems.

“The F-35 program and cost is out of control,” Mr Trump wrote on Twitter on Monday.

“Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th.” The program’s overall $US400 billion price tag has been dubbed the most expensive weapon system in history.

It is Australia’s largest ever defence purchase.


What is Trump up to!

 

[Trackmaster]

From News.com.au 13/12/16
THE controversial F-35 stealth fighter program, which Australia plans on investing $A24 billion into for more than 70 planes, has been slammed by US President-elect Donald Trump.

The Lockheed Martin-produced aircraft are a key component of defence forces in the US, Australia, Britain, Japan and other allies, but have been dogged by cost blowouts and other problems.

“The F-35 program and cost is out of control,” Mr Trump wrote on Twitter on Monday.

“Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th.” The program’s overall $US400 billion price tag has been dubbed the most expensive weapon system in history.

It is Australia’s largest ever defence purchase.


What is Trump up to!

He has put Boeing on notice with Air Force One and now LM. My take is he's saying the money bucket isn't as full as it once was.
The whole bottomless bucket view of the world was summed up for me in a comment in a Flight Global report on Air Force One.
The view of the reporter was that " Only $2.7 billion had been allocated for R&D on the new Air Force One through until 2021". ONLY $2.7 billion!
In 2016 adjusted $$, the current two aircraft, ordered in 1986, cost a total of $800 million, including support.
As an observer from afar, it appears to me that the whole US industry and those on the sidelines have lost touch with reality.
$2.7 billion on R&D...come on! To me, that program really needs a number cruncher to sit some folks down in a room and ask the question..."So tell me, exactly, how are you spending this money?"

 

[rjtjrt]

He has put Boeing on notice with Air Force One and now LM. My take is he's saying the money bucket isn't as full as it once was.
The whole bottomless bucket view of the world was summed up for me in a comment in a Flight Global report on Air Force One.
The view of the reporter was that " Only $2.7 billion had been allocated for R&D on the new Air Force One through until 2021". ONLY $2.7 billion!
In 2016 adjusted $$, the current two aircraft, ordered in 1986, cost a total of $800 million, including support.
As an observer from afar, it appears to me that the whole US industry and those on the sidelines have lost touch with reality.
$2.7 billion on R&D...come on! To me, that program really needs a number cruncher to sit some folks down in a room and ask the question..."So tell me, exactly, how are you spending this money?"

We use "billion" now so effortlessly.
I always find it is sobering to look at the difference in 1 million seconds compared to 1 billion seconds (US billion).

1 million seconds = 2 weeks
1 billions seconds = 32 years


(Actual numbers for accuracy:
1 million seconds = 11.574 days
1 billion seconds = 31.71 years)

 

[Bluey 006]

He has put Boeing on notice with Air Force One and now LM. My take is he's saying the money bucket isn't as full as it once was.
The whole bottomless bucket view of the world was summed up for me in a comment in a Flight Global report on Air Force One.
The view of the reporter was that " Only $2.7 billion had been allocated for R&D on the new Air Force One through until 2021". ONLY $2.7 billion!
In 2016 adjusted $$, the current two aircraft, ordered in 1986, cost a total of $800 million, including support.
As an observer from afar, it appears to me that the whole US industry and those on the sidelines have lost touch with reality.
$2.7 billion on R&D...come on! To me, that program really needs a number cruncher to sit some folks down in a room and ask the question..."So tell me, exactly, how are you spending this money?"

For the most part I tend to agree. As a business man he knows the margins and how corporations make money, where they inflate, how the hide costs these sorts of things. By broadcasting these statements now I suspect he is expecting these companies to trim the fat so to speak, and by the time he gets into office they'll have leaner options ready, then he can negotiate down a bit from there and all of a sudden, he's saved half a billion dollars and can tell the voters that - backing up his claims he is a master negotiator.

If it saves the state money great!! job well done. What will be a problem is, if he pushes his luck too far and a vital or important programs gets delayed or cancelled beyond resurrection. With something as big as the F-35 though, unlikely..

 

[gf0012-aust]

well, I look forward to seeing the first F-22's rotating out of Tindal next year... it will make interesting training scenarios