And we need so many advanced super jet fighters because...?

[i-need-a-martini]

We are about to spend $12.4billion dollars on 58 stealth fighters with another 42 coming. Bringing our air combat fighting capacity up to 100.

Plus we need to send another $1.6billion improving base facilities to house them.

Now whilst I can understand the need to replace our existing aging defence planes because of unreliability, 100 seems just a tad excessive.

[boris1gary]

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@pct001wine wrote:

I dare say this is abbott's way of saying "don't mess with us, near/dear neighbours" - given that he has p'o'd them enough already with his diplomatic "style".  The libs have always been the hawkish types. This sends out the message that abbott the aggressor wants to send out.

Reminds me of that saying "I'd rather see the Defence chiefs running a pie stall to raise funds for new equipment and social services/health/etc. receive all the funding they need" rather than the other way round.

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mmmm, probably more to please his financial buddies, Abbott considers our closest neighbours our best friends.......

http://theaimn.com/2014/04/16/you-cant-make-a-silk-purse-out-of-a-sows-ear/

“Indonesia is in many respects Australia’s most important overall relationship.” – September 2013

“As far as I’m concerned, Japan is Australia’s best friend in Asia and we want to keep it a very strong friendship,”   – October 2013

“New Zealand is Australia’s closest friend” – December 2013

“Australia and Papua New Guinea are more than friends – we are family” – March 2014

“Australia is not in China to do a deal, but to be a friend,” – April 2014

[lakeland27]

he sounds like someone in need of a friend

[boris1gary]

What the ?????? Oh well, I suppose they will look impressive parked in the driveway.

  http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-27/f35-joint-strike-fighters-unaffordable-us-committee-hears/5348...

F-35 Joint Strike Fighters: Australia's biggest Defence acquisition 'unaffordable', US congressional committee hears

But the head of the JSF program, US Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan, visited Australia two weeks ago and declared the reliability and maintainability of the aircraft was not yet "good enough".

And overnight the US House Armed Services Committee was told the planes are currently not affordable to use at the moment.

The committee heard software problems could delay the fighter's production, and foreign buyer delays could see countries like Australia paying millions of dollars more per aircraft.

"We've looked at the reliability too and it is a really big concern now - it's very risky," the General Accounting Office's Michael Sullivan said.

"Not just in terms of getting the unit costs down on the aircraft, but also in terms of the operating and support costs.

"The estimate now is deemed unaffordable.

"That's all got as much to do with reliability of the aircraft as anything else.

"This is a critical point."

[lakeland27]

some points that relate to the purchase from budget papers  under the former govt.

''

Australia’s decision to delay the purchase of the second consignment of 12 JSFs is in keeping with the US schedule for the introduction of the JSF. In its most recent testimony to the US Congress, the US Government Accountability Office pointed out that the US Department of Defense has deferred procurement numbers of the F-35 for the last three years and that a fully integrated F-35 is unlikely to be tested before 2015.[4]  

In light of this, Australia’s decision to delay might be characterised as a straightforward recognition of reality with obvious benefits to the budget bottom line. Indeed, the current Minister for Defence has said:

So we are now essentially on the same timetable for delivery of our first batch of Joint strike Fighters as the United States is.[5]

Most commentators seem to agree with the Minister. For example, Derek Woolner states that:

... the $1.6 billion to be saved by delaying acquisition of the F-35 joint strike fighter has few implications for policy....It is probably a sensible step to ensure what should be a less troublesome purchase.[6]

In addition to this, the US Air Force (USAF) has already taken steps to cover any capability gap created by further delays in the delivery of the F-35. The Air Force announced plans to extend the lives of more than 300 late-model F-16s and possibly some F-15s ‘to fill the gap caused by delays to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program’.[7] In addition to the USAF measures, the Marine Corps has acquired 74 retired Harrier jets from the British Royal Air Force to provide spare parts for its AV-8Bs (the US version of the Harrier), which could help extend their life until the F-35B arrives in the force.[8]

from this it can be assumed (though i'd be interested in MM's opinion) that the US military itself has doubts about the plane .

http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/Budge...

[boris1gary]

well it's all becoming quite clear, there is no money for the majority of Australians, those being workers, unemployed, the aged, the ill, our indigenous communities, those with disabilities etc but there is billions for faulty jets from our mates, the US, who just happen to be the biggest warmongers on the planet. Brilliant.

[lakeland27]

well. as TB pointed out the F1 11 had a long developement phase and worked out.  the wisdom of a larger commitment at this stage is what i find questionable. better to wait and see if they can sort out the bugs before making such a commitment.

[lakeland27]

The Myth of a 'budget emergency '' is what is really taking a battering ATM    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-23/jericho-coalition-banks-on-blind-faith-in-budget-fix/5404046

[fourandsixpants]

This 'deal' was probably set up by someone before TA. Though one of the 1st calls he would have received on becoming PM would've been from BO saying "Hey! Tone, you've bought some jets.....when d'ya want 'em?"

For the price of these shonky planes-a hundred of them, a plane industry could have been set up in Australia.

During the 2nd WW we built 2 planes ourselves, by the Commonwealth, here in Australia. The Boomerang and the Wirraway. One was a trainer and the other a fighter was used in PNG against the Japanese.

.....anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

[spotweldersfriend]

They're outdated.50 suicide bombers can shut down an economy for months if they did right.

[lakeland27]

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@paintsew007 wrote:

This 'deal' was probably set up by someone before TA. Though one of the 1st calls he would have received on becoming PM would've been from BO saying "Hey! Tone, you've bought some jets.....when d'ya want 'em?"

For the price of these shonky planes-a hundred of them, a plane industry could have been set up in Australia.

During the 2nd WW we built 2 planes ourselves, by the Commonwealth, here in Australia. The Boomerang and the Wirraway. One was a trainer and the other a fighter was used in PNG against the Japanese.

.....anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

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those days are well past us. most of the expertise required has been sent offshore so we can sell more rock and gas.