ABRAHAM LINCOLN, KITTY HAWK, RONALD REAGAN, and friends...

[-tronski-]

Originally posted by Bluedog
The one in that pic is a RAAF bird. It 'lives' about a 30 min drive down the highway from my place at Amberley AFB.
They are still used as frontline combat aircraft down here, though their age is starting to tell.

BTW, I agree, for high speed ingress/egress at stupidly low altitudes and capability to deliver it's (very large)payload on target every time, you just cant beat a 'Pig'. Nothing comes close except maybe a pair of Tornados.

The big question is, what do you replace an aging fleet of F-111s with, and retain or improve it's strike capabilities and range?

If I was the Air Vice Marshall of the RAAF, or the minister for defence...

Withdraw from the JSF before that lemon sucks in more ca$h, and replace our F-18's/F-111's for leased or new build F-15K's, or westernised Su30MK's which with our A330 Tankers should provide good support and range, and wait until the F-22 is available for export.

But they're not as good a bomb truck as the pig...

 Tronsky

[Ball]

Shame this never made service: -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAC_TSR-2

Would have been an outstanding attack aircraft.

[Viking]

Originally posted by MrRiplEy[H]
Yeah, better to buy more bombs instead.

I'd rather the Americans buy more bombs than giving the money to some dictator or warlord. Most of the 3rd world choose to stay poor ... out of ignorance to be sure, but they still choose to stay poor through civil wars and arcane social-economic structures.

At least the bombs the Americans buy won't be used to slaughter innocents.

[Chairboy]

Mandindo, that's why I linked to the Shkval in one of the first replies.

[RedRadr]

Originally posted by mandingo
lol get me some supercavitating Russian missiles and i will have fun sinking those ships.

        snort, russia have a coupla tanks left sittin on blocks in the front yard?

        very intimidating...

[Chairboy]

RadRedr: You might want to read up a little on the Shkval.  While the russian military itself might not be too intimidating, they have some weapons that are really deadly.  The Shkval torpedo with nuclear warhead is one of these.  It travels at about 230mph underwater.  There's literally no defense against it, and a single sub could take out a carrier group using it.  When he mentioned supercavitating, that's what he was talking about:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VA-111_Shkval

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Originally posted by Viking
I'd rather the Americans buy more bombs than giving the money to some dictator or warlord. Most of the 3rd world choose to stay poor ... out of ignorance to be sure, but they still choose to stay poor through civil wars and arcane social-economic structures.

At least the bombs the Americans buy won't be used to slaughter innocents.

Well I agree there, in fact the best thing that could happen to Africa is to return the old imperial rule as they can't feed themselves.

But still, if even a quarter of the US military budget would be pumped to nutrition services, the world would not see hunger anymore.

[lukster]

Originally posted by MrRiplEy[H]
Well I agree there, in fact the best thing that could happen to Africa is to return the old imperial rule as they can't feed themselves.

But still, if even a quarter of the US military budget would be pumped to nutrition services, the world would not see hunger anymore.

The US spends more every year on "human services" than it does on it's military. We still have homeless and jobless and likely always will.

[Mace2004]

Originally posted by MrRiplEy[H]
Well I agree there, in fact the best thing that could happen to Africa is to return the old imperial rule as they can't feed themselves.

But still, if even a quarter of the US military budget would be pumped to nutrition services, the world would not see hunger anymore.

 

I've always found it interesting that foreigners always come up with ways the US can solve all the world's problems.  It's almost as many times as foreigners blame the US for supposedly causing all the world's problems.

[Excel1]

Originally posted by MrRiplEy[H]
Well I agree there, in fact the best thing that could happen to Africa is to return the old imperial rule as they can't feed themselves.

But still, if even a quarter of the US military budget would be pumped to nutrition services, the world would not see hunger anymore.

I got a better solution to the hunger problem.

The EU drops its protectionist agriculture policies, thereby allowing the third world to compete on a level trade playing field, the hungry would get fed and the world's policeman would get to keep all its guns to keep the peace.. its a win win solution.

Shame about the the pampered, bloated and ineficient Euro farmers though...tough chit... that's life.