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0 pointsrst11y ago0 comments

You think the US won't buy them? Our military bought and paid for hundreds of F-111s, the last plane we designed to do everything for everyone, with the result that it wasn't useful anyplace. (Yes, we've tried this trick before.) And that was in the 1960s and '70s; if anything, the military procurement process has gotten a whole lot more corrupt.

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vacri11y ago

The F-111 was actually good for Australia, though the purchase was sort of a 'mistake' at the time - it's extremely long range suited our northern defence, where the airstrips are few and far between. One defence person said in an aside to me 'The F-111 has enough range to get from Darwin to Jakarta and back without refueling'...

dwd11y ago

Menzies said as much quite openly after the confrontation with Indonesia following the Malaysian Independence.

If you're near Caloundra they have an open cockpit weekend coming up.

http://www.qam.com.au/ocw/ocw.htm

dwd11y ago

Australia is replacing its retired F-111 fleet with the F-35 so we may end up sole user in end...again. The F-111 at least had use in a long-range anti-shipping role once it was upgraded for the Harpoon.

andrewkreid11y ago

Being cynical here, but maybe we have to consider whether alienating the US military-industrial complex (and their coterie of owned congresspersons) by purchasing a non-US warplane would be _worse_ for Australia's long-term security than sucking it up and overspending on the F-35.

justatdotin11y ago

I certainly believe we'd be far more secure, with greater chances of a peaceful future, if Australia determined we needed an independent strategy, without USA war bases and without tagging along to whatever big dumb war the emperor might dream up next. Our own analysts say there is no credible threat; we're not at war now; so why aid the military empire in their unnecessary and unhelpful expansion in our region?

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yread11y ago

It's not completely useless, it can do Dump & Burn http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpPEdOMSIgQ

a8da6b0c91d11y ago

> tried this trick before

The Littoral Combat Ship is the exact same trick being played right now! It's pretty much useless as a naval war fighting platform against a serious enemy, but some thin claims that it's a multi-mission platform got it the go-ahead.

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vacri11y ago

dwd11y ago

Menzies said as much quite openly after the confrontation with Indonesia following the Malaysian Independence.

If you're near Caloundra they have an open cockpit weekend coming up.

http://www.qam.com.au/ocw/ocw.htm

dwd11y ago

andrewkreid11y ago

justatdotin11y ago

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yread11y ago

It's not completely useless, it can do Dump & Burn http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpPEdOMSIgQ

a8da6b0c91d11y ago

> tried this trick before

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