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

O

old faithful

The Bunker Group
Verified Defense Pro
I have my early warning devices at the ready!
When out gold detecting, my metal detector picks up huge amounts of EMI from fighter aircraft and helos long before I can hear or see them. Great early warning for baddies, including stealthy F35s. RAAF might want to know this....I have attempted to let them know in the past, and of course, never got a reply.
My metal detector becomes unstable and unusable when some aircraft are overhead. Must be the transponders or EW suits or something, but I know they will be close a few minutes before I can see or hear them.
 
ngatimozart

ngatimozart

Super Moderator
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
old faithful said:
I have my early warning devices at the ready!
When out gold detecting, my metal detector picks up huge amounts of EMI from fighter aircraft and helos long before I can hear or see them. Great early warning for baddies, including stealthy F35s. RAAF might want to know this....I have attempted to let them know in the past, and of course, never got a reply.
My metal detector becomes unstable and unusable when some aircraft are overhead. Must be the transponders or EW suits or something, but I know they will be close a few minutes before I can see or hear them.
Click to expand...
Note to NZG. Install COTS metal detectors on RNZN frigates and NZLAV. Bunnings or Mitre 10?
 
A

ADMk2

Just a bloke
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
John Newman said:
B-21?

Hmmm......

www.aspistrategist.org.au

Senior US official says Washington would consider supplying B-21 bombers to Australia | The Strategist

A senior Washington official has indicated that the United States would consider providing Australia with B-21 Raider long-range bombers, if Canberra requested them. US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall was hosted in Canberra this week ...
www.aspistrategist.org.au www.aspistrategist.org.au
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Not with the budget we currently have, no matter how much Army capability they slash…

B-21A is being designed to fight alongside extremely long-ranged fighter aircraft for the highest of high-end combat environments. Feasibly allied fighter aircraft could escort our strategic bombers, but that would hardly be a sovereign capability.

Feasibly F-35A with literally TONS of tanker support might be up to it, but there will be some operational compromises flying KC-30A’s alongside F-35’’s and B-21A’s…

I’ll see what comes of this before getting too carried away…

If AusGov has sticker shock over LAND 400 Phase.3 vehicles, wait til defence asks them to pony up for SSN’s and VLO strategic bombers…
 
John Fedup

John Fedup

The Bunker Group
ADMk2 said:
Not with the budget we currently have, no matter how much Army capability they slash…

B-21A is being designed to fight alongside extremely long-ranged fighter aircraft for the highest of high-end combat environments. Feasibly allied fighter aircraft could escort our strategic bombers, but that would hardly be a sovereign capability.

Feasibly F-35A with literally TONS of tanker support might be up to it, but there will be some operational compromises flying KC-30A’s alongside F-35’’s and B-21A’s…

I’ll see what comes of this before getting too carried away…

If AusGov has sticker shock over LAND 400 Phase.3 vehicles, wait til defence asks them to pony up for SSN’s and VLO strategic bombers…
Click to expand...
Maybe there is a secret B-21T (tanker version).;)
 
Mark_Evans

Mark_Evans

Member
John Newman said:
B-21?

Hmmm......

www.aspistrategist.org.au

Senior US official says Washington would consider supplying B-21 bombers to Australia | The Strategist

A senior Washington official has indicated that the United States would consider providing Australia with B-21 Raider long-range bombers, if Canberra requested them. US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall was hosted in Canberra this week ...
www.aspistrategist.org.au www.aspistrategist.org.au
Click to expand...
Perhaps we can trade them for wedgetails?? Build them in Australia a bit quicker than the US is currently planning to get them
www.defensenews.com

US Air Force says options limited for speeding deliveries of Wedgetail

Air Force acquisition chief Andrew Hunter said the E-7 Wedgetail's capabilities are impressive, and a "night and day" difference from the old AWACS planes slated for retirement.
www.defensenews.com www.defensenews.com
 
S

south

Well-Known Member
ADMk2 said:
Not with the budget we currently have, no matter how much Army capability they slash…

B-21A is being designed to fight alongside extremely long-ranged fighter aircraft for the highest of high-end combat environments. Feasibly allied fighter aircraft could escort our strategic bombers, but that would hardly be a sovereign capability.

Feasibly F-35A with literally TONS of tanker support might be up to it, but there will be some operational compromises flying KC-30A’s alongside F-35’’s and B-21A’s…

I’ll see what comes of this before getting too carried away…

If AusGov has sticker shock over LAND 400 Phase.3 vehicles, wait til defence asks them to pony up for SSN’s and VLO strategic bombers…
Click to expand...
Apart from Europe WWII, and maybe some small parts of the Korean War, when have strategic bombers ever been escorted by fighters from the same base area?

I don’t think sticker shock or trading capability off is necessarily an issue (evidenced by the massive uplift in funding required when making the SSN decision) it’s likely the Hunter program would be more expensive than say 12 B-21, and the SSNs will certainly be more expensive.

more likely would be the decision around the significant alteration of Strategic balance, and making mainland Australia a genuine target.

Edit to add: are there other, more pressing and urgent things, that need money to provide needed capability across the ADF? You betcha - heaps of things, across the ADF that you could fix with the $50B that might be spent on B-21.
 
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A

ADMk2

Just a bloke
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
south said:
Apart from Europe WWII, and maybe some small parts of the Korean War, when have strategic bombers ever been escorted by fighters from the same base area?

I don’t think sticker shock or trading capability off is necessarily an issue (evidenced by the massive uplift in funding required when making the SSN decision) it’s likely the Hunter program would be more expensive than say 12 B-21, and the SSNs will certainly be more expensive.

more likely would be the decision around the significant alteration of Strategic balance, and making mainland Australia a genuine target.

Edit to add: are there other, more pressing and urgent things, that need money to provide needed capability across the ADF? You betcha - heaps of things, across the ADF that you could fix with the $50B that might be spent on B-21.
Click to expand...
Yah, but the current Australian government has yet to decide to actually acquire ANY of those things. Hunter is already contracted, the best that can be said, is they have yet to cancel it…
 
Takao

Takao

The Bunker Group
ADMk2 said:
Not with the budget we currently have, no matter how much Army capability they slash…

*snip*

If AusGov has sticker shock over LAND 400 Phase.3 vehicles, wait til defence asks them to pony up for SSN’s and VLO strategic bombers…
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Exactly.

Using ASPI figures, a B-21 project costs as much as SEA 1000 did. Do we honestly think that Defence can afford 2x $50 b projects (in addition to _every other one_)? Note that if you kill every AFV in Army you don't get to half that figure - and the majority of that funding (esp IFV) falls beyond the next five year window. You can kill IFV fully, and not get 1 cent more for Defence before 2027...
 
R

Redlands18

Well-Known Member
Takao said:
Exactly.

Using ASPI figures, a B-21 project costs as much as SEA 1000 did. Do we honestly think that Defence can afford 2x $50 b projects (in addition to _every other one_)? Note that if you kill every AFV in Army you don't get to half that figure - and the majority of that funding (esp IFV) falls beyond the next five year window. You can kill IFV fully, and not get 1 cent more for Defence before 2027...
Click to expand...
And you are not going to get 30+ years to pay for a sqn of B-21s with a far shorter build time like you are with the SSNs and FFGs, probably about 10 years at most.
 
H

hauritz

Well-Known Member
oldsig127

oldsig127

The Bunker Group
Verified Defense Pro
hauritz said:
Sounds like some genuine interest from the US about the Ghost Bat. In fact Kendall seemed fairly open that preliminary discussions about buying into the project were underway.
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Ghost Bat is Loyal Wingman originally developed in Australia by Boeing and RAAF and further developed in the USA by Boeing to offer as a solution to the USAF. Interest goes back months but these articles tend to reach the press only when someone says it at a conference.

oldsig
 
D

ddxx

Well-Known Member
Wouldn't existing investment in long range / hypersonic missiles which can be deployed from multiple platforms across the ADF deliver a similar effect to B-21s in most cases? Long range strike is as much to do with the weapon's capabilities as that of the platforms which deliver them.

I just can't see enough additional capability for the substantial cost. In an alternate universe where we had ten fighter squadrons, two dozen surface combatants and aircraft carriers - sure, maybe worth a look.

But for us to pursue such a niche, cost-intensive platform instead of bolstering our existing air and naval fleets just doesn't add up to me from a bang for buck perspective.
 
oldsig127

oldsig127

The Bunker Group
Verified Defense Pro
This is probably worth watching as a net positive for the RAAF because it aired on ABC without any detectable smarmy anti ADF comments.

www.abc.net.au

Tony Armstrong flies into the 'danger zone'

Read the latest news headlines and in-depth analysis from an independent and trusted source. Check the latest news on business, sports, weather, and more.
www.abc.net.au www.abc.net.au

Not sure if it will last at that address. I missed it live because I can't tolerate 15 minutes of news padded with ten of self promotion and fluff, repeated for 24 hours

oldsig
 
oldsig127

oldsig127

The Bunker Group
Verified Defense Pro
ddxx said:
Wouldn't existing investment in long range / hypersonic missiles which can be deployed from multiple platforms across the ADF deliver a similar effect to B-21s in most cases? Long range strike is as much to do with the weapon's capabilities as that of the platforms which deliver them.
Click to expand...
Bought from who? As far as I know only China and Russia make them and the USA is developing a response?

More paper airplane I'm afraid
 
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