"Kevin Brooks" wrote in message
news

"DC" wrote in message
. au...
Michael Kelly said the following on 10/06/2004 12:04 PM:

Doubt you'd only want a fleet of 4 of any aircraft. I've had the
experience of trying to support 3 customers with a squadron of only 6
Bones (6 + 1 in depot), and it wasn't pretty. This is at a base with
two other squadrons flying another 24 planes, 4 would be unworkable.
Furthermore, there aren't enough Bones left to lease four unless
congress backs off from bringing the 23 out of retirement (7 are gone
for good). Even at that not sure you'd want the ones at DM, pretty
picked over.

That said, it could be workable with a fleet size of 10 or 11 if the
US
follows through with the plans to stand up a squadron in Guam.
Although
that would depend on us only bringing back 11-12.

How would the B1B and B2 compare? Would a force consisting of F-22
fighters and B-1B or B-2 bombers be feasible for the RAAF (as
compared to the F-35) or would it be way too expensive?

So expensive as to be complete and utter fantasy; the B-2, which is not in
production any longer, came it at around $1 billion per copy

So if Australia shut down the rest of the defence force it could buy
(assuming availability) about 6 per year, allowing for exchange rates etc.

IIRC, and the
F/A-22 is a pricey item too, depending on how the pricing is worked out
(the
$100 million per figure has been tossed around IIRC, but if you take the
total program cost and divide it out by the currently planned total number
of airframes you get something closer to the $150 million plus figure).

Which is about half the oft bandied price of $75M AUD for a Hornet. So
Australia could get 30 odd for the same price....assuming the operation
costs remain the same (doubt it).

The
RAAF is not going to be looking at either of those platforms, that is for
sure.

B1's only if it's a fire sale. B2's in your dreams. F-22 only if Australia
needs a handful of those and nothing else.


--
The Raven
http://www.80scartoons.co.uk/batfinkquote.mp3
** President of the ozemail.* and uunet.* NG's
** since August 15th 2000.