I think it would be great if we in australia at least had the capability to manufacture spare parts for our aircraft ourselves. I think it’s ridiculous that we buy planes like the F-18 from the Americans, and then we’re completely dependent on them for spare parts. I mean: why bother buying them? Why not just pay the Americans to put an airforce base here? We’re dependent on them anyway.

And of course, the Su-35 is a very fast, astoundingly maneuverable, and very long range fighter. I’m sure the DSTO could design custom avionics that would give it an edge over other fighters in the region.

while we value our alliance with eh USA enormously, the fact is that the USA’s strategic interests are not always perfectly aligned with our own. If you look into our history, we had our imperial protector pre-WWII tell us “thanks for all your professional troops, thousands of airmen, etc. etc. – now go fend for yourself”. Speaking for myself, it’d be nice to have enough independent capability to ensure that, whatever the USA docides to do or not do, we can look after ourselves.

As for fighter pilots, not to knock them because clearly to make it through the extensive selection process you must have some pretty special skills, but they all tend to think that their plane is the best plane ever made.

While you certainly have a point that speed is certainly not the be-all and end-all, that’s true. However, it’s relatively straightforward to fit a new radar, ECM, and weapons to an old plane; it’s much tougher to make a plane go faster or fly further on a tank of fuel.

Don’t Forget Your Buying a System Not an Airplane!

How this is supposed to be safe to operate over water I’m not too sure…

SUPER Hornets are Secret Weapons used only by the Greatest First Day of War Force on Earth!
The United States Navy

That would of course be in the hope that the first day of war didn’t include the opposition’s “secret weapons” ie Sunburn/Yakhont. Their Mach 2.5 arrival would mean carriers doing a SuperDive and SuperSloths not long after doing a SuperSplash (with delayed pike).

Kinda like history could repeat itself, Admiral Phillips style with Repulse and Prince of Wales:

1941: What the fuck is that?

A half ton of ironmongery through the upper deck Sir.

2008+: What the fuck are those blips?
Yakhonts Sir–should we launch the remaining SuperH…….

I agree with Nabs, bring on the Sukies from Indonesia. (If we got 100 of them them directly from RasPutin, at a fraction of the price of SuperSloths, they might throw in 100 Yakhonts and Sukie attaching brackets and bolts for about the same price as 1 Superhornet? Wouldn’t we then be the “coolest” people in the “arc of instability” with the capacity to bust [heaven forbid], even Uncle Sam’s “tin can” arse?)

Oh, and if the F-15 “can not operate in a Salt Water Environmentâ€?, as you put it, then presumably the Su-27 (designed as the Soviet counterpart to the F-15) can’t either. In which case, Australia has nothing to fear from the Indonesian AF and we don’t need to buy anything!

I wouldn’t expect any plane to operate in a salt water environment, Catalinas excepted, but I don’t think that it would be a sound idea to build our air defence around them. We keep a navy to operate in a salt water environment.

Willie H. Brunson you may not have noticed this but the United States has eleven (or is it twelve ?) aircraft carriers. Among the planes that have flown off them is the F15N “Sea Eagle”. Could they not operate in a salt water environment?

We could instead pick up brand new F-15E derivatives like the Singaporeans and Koreans are getting, with all sorts of neat combat systems and electronics.

Willie, if any modern combat aircraft can’t operate over water, just put it back in its box and write “return to sender” on it. You may wish to think about why the version being delivered to South Korea, the ‘F-15K Slam Eagle’, is designed to carry the AGM-84 Harpoon anti-shipping missile.

Oh, and if the F-15 “can not operate in a Salt Water Environment”, as you put it, then presumably the Su-27 (designed as the Soviet counterpart to the F-15) can’t either. In which case, Australia has nothing to fear from the Indonesian AF and we don’t need to buy anything!

Nabakov,
War:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
War is any large scale, violent conflict. War grew from the almost universal tribal warfare that has occurred throughout history, to wars between city states, nations, or empires. By extension, the word is now used for any struggle, as in the war on drugs or the war on terror. It was once thought man was the only animal who fought wars, but closer observation of animal life has discovered wars between ant colonies and chimpanzee tribes.