RAAF releases jet fighter back-up plan

In article , =20
says...
The RAAF originally selected the F/A-18 over the F16. I don't see=20
them acquiring any F16s.
=20
Did that have something to do with HMAS Melbourne, or is that a furphy?

Can't operate fixed wing aircraft off a frigate, but presuming you're=20
talking about our old aircraft carrier, she was way too small for=20
Hornets. A loaded Hornet weighs about half as much again as a Skyhawk -=20
in the region of ten tonnes - and to launch and recover these aircraft=20
safely you need a correspondingly longer catapult and arrestor stroke.

Melbourne's single small catapult would have had to be replaced again,=20
this time with something stretching over half her length. Her launching=20
and recovery areas would have been much the same place, pretty much=20
negating any advantage of having an angled deck (which was only 6=BA=20
anyway) and making the forward elevator useless for much of the time.

I'm not saying it couldn't have been done, but the cost of refitting=20
what was already an elderly ship to operate a very small complement of=20
Hornets wouldn't have been worthwhile.

Speaking of a possible hornet/f-11 sucessor, why didn't the RAAF
choose the Rafale instead? Currently the F.2 block of rafales seem to
match the hornet and possibly the aardvark's strike capability plus i
think dassualt really need some buyers for their jet

"Prowlus" wrote in message
om...
Speaking of a possible hornet/f-11 sucessor, why didn't the RAAF
choose the Rafale instead? Currently the F.2 block of rafales seem to
match the hornet and possibly the aardvark's strike capability plus i
think dassualt really need some buyers for their jet

Have they actually got the multi-role version in service, or even flying?
Last i heard all they had were the air-to-air only naval variants.

Brooks

"Prowlus" wrote in message
om...
Speaking of a possible hornet/f-11 sucessor, why didn't the RAAF
choose the Rafale instead? Currently the F.2 block of rafales seem to
match the hornet and possibly the aardvark's strike capability plus

i think dassualt really need some buyers for their jet

I think you just answered your own question.

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"The code of the warrior class has room for fallibility but there is no room
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