Hi Guys,
I have been wondering for a while now where do we stand with our Legacy Hornets how effective are they still? I know that the super's are competent enough to deal with any of the Russian offerings in the area but what about the Legacy FA-18's. I also know that our FA-18's have had ample updates over their lifetime and they are as up to date as they can be "ish" but in capability terms how do the legacy's stack up against the super's?
I am just wondering that if by the time the F35's are being delivered are the legacy's going to be like the F1-11's? and be more of an symbol of power rather than actual capability? and if so will the RAAF see an actual drop in capability untill all F35's are on line?
Thanks
Not going to get into the debate of dealing with Russian offerings in the area, I can’t really see who we would have to be dealing with in our region as it currently stands anyway.
How much more up to date 'ish' can the Classic's be at this stage of their service life and what's remaining of it?
Compared to when they were first delivered they have had their radar updated, Sidewinder M / Sparrow M updated to ASRAAM / AMRAAM, JHMCS, JASSM, JDAM, etc, and compared to the weapons available on the SHornet it appears very similar, with the exception of AIM-9X (in place of ASRAAM) and JSOW (in place of JASSM).
Range/payload of the Super appears to better, and I’m sure there are lots of other physical differences that could be compared, but is there a point to comparing that? Probably the biggest difference between the two would be the capability difference of the sensors, especially the AESA radar.
As I understand it, an AESA radar can provide the pilot with a weapons quality track straight away compared to a conventional radar where a number of sweeps may have to be done to obtain a weapons quality track, as I also understand it an AESA radar has the potential to obtain a track outside the maximum range of the weapons being carried too.
And that I think is the whole point of where we are heading, apart from low observability, higher situational awareness, longer range sensors, better integration of sensors that allow decisions to be made quicker, especially before the other guy knows about it.
How does that help the Classic fleet? I’ve also read that with a mixed package of Supers and Classics, the Super is also able to provide the Classic with its sensor information thereby enhancing the capabilities of the Classic.
I think the bigger issue facing the Classic will be more about fatigue and hours left on the airframes before replacement, assuming there are no further delays with the F-35 or some unexpected airframe issues appear out of the blue, then hopefully they will remain as capable as they can be up to the point of retirement, without having to throw extra buckets of money at them.
There is no doubt that over the coming years before the F-35’s enter service that some of the more worn out airframes will be retired and also when the first Sqn(s) start to transition to the F-35, so there will be a drop in total number of airframes available, but that should also be counter balanced to a degree by the addition of the 12 Growlers and also by being able to operate alongside the Supers and take advantage of their sensors, if the situation requires it, till the whole Classic fleet is replaced.
Anyway, just my opinion is all.
