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NEWS FLASH - March 6 2007
* RAAF SUPER HORNET DEAL CONFIRMED: Defence Minister Dr Brendan Nelson confirmed today (March 6) that the RAAF will acquire 24 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets as a bridging air combat capability for the next decade and a half.
The Super Hornet will, along with the RAAF's upgraded 'Classic' Hornets, fill the capability gap between the retirement of the F-111 in 2010 and the full operational capability of the F-35 Lightning II, expected from around 2018.
Many in industry and the media have questioned the merits of the acquisition despite reported looming delays to the RAAF's anointed New Air Combat Capability (NACC) solution, the F-35 JSF. But the Super Hornet has always been the stated fallback or 'Plan B' option for the RAAF to replace its F-111s and F/A-18A/B Hornets should the F-35 experience substantial delays or cost increases.
"The JSF is the most suitable aircraft for Australia's future combat and strike needs," the Minister said. "Australia remains fully committed to the JSF. But the government is not prepared to accept any risk to air combat and strike capability during the transition to the JSF."
The Minister said Australia's first JSFs would be delivered in 2013, with an IOC achieved in 2015, and that "the Super Hornets will support the transition of Air Force and industry from 1960s technology to the latest 21st century technology."
Minister Nelson also confirmed the F-111 force would be retired in 2010. "The next generation Block II Super Hornets will provide a more flexible operational capability than currently exists with the F-111."
The aircraft are being acquired through US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) channels under the newly established Air 5349 Bridging Air Combat Capability (or BACC) project. They will be based at Amberley and operated by current F-111C unit 1 Squadron. Initial Operating Capability (IOC) is slated for late 2010, with Australian crews expected to begin training on the aircraft in 2009. The first four aircraft will arrive in Australia in early 2010 with the final aircraft delivered by the end of 2011.
As it is intended to be a "bridging" capability, Minister Nelson said that a future government would make the decision in 2014 whether or not to acquire a fourth operational squadron of JSFs to replace the Super Hornets at the end of the next decade, and that it was his view that that should happen.
Australia's F/A-18Fs will be built to the latest Block 2 standard with Raytheon's APG-79 AESA radar; the Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures (IDECM Block 2) system which comprises the ALR-67(v)3 RWR, ALQ-214(v)2 jammer and ALE-50 towed decoy systems; the latest Advanced Crew Station (ACS) which has a 20x25cm direct high resolution colour display directly interfaced with the AESA radar for more precise targeting; and the ability to transmit precise targeting coordinates to the RAAF's 'Classic' Hornets and other strike platforms via a MIDS Link-16 datalink.
The cost of the 24 aircraft package will be $6 billion over 10 years, which will come from supplemental defence funding, which the Minister says will not "impact on the current level of funding for the JSF project, nor (involve) deferrals/deletions from the Defence Capability Plan".
The $6 billion amount includes support costs and the usual non-recurring costs associated with the introduction of any new type into service, with items such as type-specific ground support and test equipment; a Super Hornet simulator which will be located at Amberley and able to be networked to the RAAF's Classic Hornet simulators; pilot and maintenance training courseware and hardware; electronic technical manuals; six spare GE F414 engines; deployment kits and common spares; basic flight test instrumentation of the RAAF's first jet; and an initial three year training support plus 10 year sustainment agreement with Boeing and the US Navy.
Also incorporated in the package will be a comprehensive weapons and sensor suite which, in RAAF service, will likely be unique to the Super Hornet. This will likely include the AGM-154C JSOW GPS guided glide bomb, the advanced AIM-9X air-to-air missile, the ATFLIR targeting pod, and additional Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) helmets for the pilots and backseat weapons system operators (WSO).
Meanwhile Boeing, rather than take the RAAF's F/A-18Fs straight out of US Navy production, may instead look at increasing its Super Hornet production during 2009 and 2010. The company is said to be looking to ramp up production at St Louis to meet potential additional US Navy orders, as well as all the RAAF's deliveries in just two production lots so they're as close to a common configuration as possible.
Initial training for RAAF Super Hornet crews, to be drawn from both F-111 and Classic Hornet ranks, will be conducted with the US Navy at NAS Lemoore in California. "Deliveries will start in 2009, and the first four aircraft are scheduled to arrive in Australia in the first quarter of 2010," a Boeing spokesman said. "The talking plan at this time is that the jets will be dragged back to Australia four at a time, hopefully using the RAAF's new (KC-30B) tankers, but it's not yet a firm plan. They'll come down the line just like a US Navy jet; only we'll paint a kangaroo on it at the end of the line."
"The support agreement is for a fully integrated performance based logistics system, meaning the RAAF will plug direct into the US Navy's logistics contracts," the spokesman added. "The advantage of that is, instead of ordering spares and components for just 24 unique airplanes, you're in a system for 540 airplanes or whatever the final USN number will be. The difference here is that the local off-flightline support will be contractor owned and operated. We'll provide all the support for the aircraft other than that on the flightline.
"This turned out to be the lowest risk and most cost-effective solution."
I really cant see any being upset about this, I beleive both sides of politics are agreeded on this?
