Australian Defence Spending to be cut again

[BossMark]

Hey TarJak soon you will be like us defenceless, with no navy, air force or army

The statement that infuriates me is that front line troops would not be cut and that they would still get all the kit they need. Not sure how if we don't spend any money on it

Well they can't exactly give them the lightnings when they don't look like being ready until another two defence reviews have been published(if even then).
Think of the savings, 1.5 billion for some more planes now compared to 16 billion++++ on some planes that may or may not arrive a long time from now and may or may not even work

[TarJak]

Originally Posted by Tribesman

Well they can't exactly give them the lightnings when they don't look like being ready until another two defence reviews have been published(if even then).
Think of the savings, 1.5 billion for some more planes now compared to 16 billion++++ on some planes that may or may not arrive a long time from now and may or may not even work

I don't deny there is some sense in the review, but not all of it makes sense:
e.g.; $215m to study whether we build submarines locally or buy them from elsewhere.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by BossMark

Hey TarJak soon you will be like us defenceless, with no navy, air force or army

We could share? I mean, it's not like we're on opposite sides of the world...

[TarJak]

Originally Posted by BossMark

Hey TarJak soon you will be like us defenceless, with no navy, air force or army

I think we are already there. Have been for years despite the spending. It's not like we actually get anything for the money anyway. Apart from the Bushmaster. That thing is pretty good.

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

We could share? I mean, it's not like we're on opposite sides of the world...

You can have our Sea Knight choppers. Oh wait they don't work, but at least they've never been used.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by TarJak

You can have our Sea Knight choppers. Oh wait they don't work, but at least they've never been used.

I think maybe a part-ex for some Apaches we've got in storage.

[Jimbuna]

Looks like our past has eventually caught up with you grant

e.g.; $215m to study whether we build submarines locally or buy them from elsewhere

Certainly don't see the need for that expenditure...you can't crew the couple of Collins that are working periodically

[TarJak]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Looks like our past has eventually caught up with you grant



Certainly don't see the need for that expenditure...you can't crew the couple of Collins that are working periodically

Too bloody true. I'd rather they paid the sailors more or used it for recruiting rather than working out where to build the next load of crap they are buying.

This governments focus on returning our budget to surplus is going to cripple some of our ability to actually do anything useful and not just in the military. Can't wait to hear what horrors they've got in store for the budget next week.

e.g.; $215m to study whether we build submarines locally or buy them from elsewhere.

Thats government.

This governments focus on returning our budget to surplus is going to cripple some of our ability to actually do anything useful and not just in the military.

Whats funny there is that the government took back money from the military because it managed to maintain a surplus from its budget allocation.

You can have our Sea Knight choppers. Oh wait they don't work, but at least they've never been used.

I think Irelands new SAR helicopters are till sitting idle in Yeovil because the government can't decide which dept. should pick up the bill

[kiwi_2005]

Originally Posted by BossMark

Hey TarJak soon you will be like us defenceless, with no navy, air force or army

Same can be said about NZ, we got an army, we got a navy if having 3 frigates count and we had an airforce once

Our only force left is the Haka warrior shout - well it worked during ww2 against the germans... kind of

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by kiwi_2005

Same can be said about NZ . . . and we had an airforce once

Don't worry, there is a little company in NZ that I have the greatest respect and admiration for and they're rebuilding the entire RNZAF.


http://thevintageaviator.co.nz/


Vids available on the Tube.

I found out about them from watching this on channel 5 (maybe UK-limited).

They don't just replicate the aircraft either -

[kiwi_2005]

^ Wow! Thanks for that, I didn't even know about them.

That'd be the dept. that doesn't have gold taps in the bathrooms.

It was five difernet departments, because of course SAR helicopters ain't really for search and rescue

Or that may just be the media lying that just about everyone in Ireland renovated their houses and installed luxurious fittings throughout.

Its not far off, you wouldn't believe some of the monstrosities I worked on when people were going crazy on credit. Its funny when you see the idiots now with their worthless piles of junk.

I hope AW are charging storage fees, but I thought you'd bought into the idea of privatising SAR using CHC? Even we turned that down, for now.

I don't know what the outcome was, it dragged on for years, but yes the service is using hired helicopters now.
I suppose its better to hire than face a repeat of what they done with the Dauphins, as they sold them for peanuts because errrr...they were due a major servicing and servicing costs money and well there are these people who are really really happy to get a helicopter at that sort of price so sell 'em
Thank god we have a tiny military, who knows how much more money the muppets in government could waste if it was bigger.

[Oberon]

IIRC Peter Jackson does a bit of work with the Vintage Aviator, he has quite a liking for the old craft.

In regards to the Lightnings, I mean...these things had better be worth the damn money we're paying for them, because right now ordering a flight of F-18s is looking very tempting, and a darn sight cheaper.

[Skybird]

The F-35 imo is one of the most hopelessly overpriced military projects in history. Some days ago I read that the US alone calculates the complete costs, including operation costs over the projected lifetime of the project, not in hundreds of billions, but in trillions.

And we all know that official numbers always describe only the most optimistic scenario imaginable, and then adding some positive factors to it to make it look even better.

Too expensive. Much too much expensive. esopecially if ypou already have a growing budget deficit, and debts of - how many trillions were it? 15 trillion, or 18?

I wonder if we just need to sit and wait to see the project being axed down in size dramatically.

I also question the ability of the F-35 to replace dedicated GA planes like the Warthog. It's loadout does notconvince me, and loading it externally, if that is possible, necessarily compromises it'S stealth feature which they paqy so much money for.

The legs of it already are under fire anyway.

I would even prefer a fleet of drones to the F-35. And would invest into drones, and maintaning the A-10 for longer than planned. And the F-16. Anbd then there is the F-18.

Stanislaw Lem once wrote an essay about weapon systems of the 21st century. He envisioned that the US Air Force would consist of only three airplanes anymore, kept in a well-hidden bunker and never being deployed - they were too precious as if to expose them to the risk of loosing even just one of them.