Now the more conscious new Aussie government wants to re-examine
the true capability of the F-18Fand may well lead to the suspension
of its procurement. Well, as I questioned last time, Aussies should
consider the eagles instead of the Superbugs. 
Jet contract may be torn up
Email Printer friendly version Normal font Large font Tom
Allard
December 31, 2007
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/jet-contract-may-be-torn-up/2007/12/30/1198949675268.html
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THE $6.6 billion purchase of 24 Super Hornets as a stop-gap fighter
jet could be jettisoned by the Rudd Government as it reviews all
aspects of the program to give Australia an edge in air-combat
capability in the region.
Defence Department planners are believed to have been asked to
present a detailed analysis on all the fighter jet options to the
new Federal Government and how they stack up against likely
adversaries the first time such a study has been done for at
least five years.
All projects in the $30 billion program will be carefully examined.
That includes what aircraft are to be bought, in what numbers, when
and at what price.
A senior Government source said: "Absolutely everything is on the
table."
Even if contracts have been signed, as is the case with the Super
Hornets, the Government is prepared to break them if the case is
compelling. This marks a shift from previous Labor thinking.
The air combat program is supposed to deliver air superiority in
the region long regarded as a fundamental element of Australia's
strategic doctrine, given its large land mass and geographical
isolation.
As devised by the previous government, it came under sustained
criticism from military aviation experts.
The coming year is looming as a critical one. A final decision must
be made on the centrepiece of the air combat project a $15
billion outlay on up to 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. The
high-stealth plane has been troubled by delays and is at risk of
major cost blow-outs.
The prevailing view in the Government is that it makes sense for
the air combat force structure to be re-examined at the same time.
A defence white paper outlining the nation's long-term strategic
priorities, to be prepared next year, is also likely to guide the
review.
Writing in his local newspaper last week, Defence Minister Joel
Fitzgibbon made clear his concerns with the Super Hornets a
purchase pushed through with great haste by his predecessor,
Brendan Nelson, now the Opposition Leader.
"Few decisions of the Howard government were more controversial
than its commitment to spend more than $6 billion on 24 Super
Hornets without proper due process or capability justification," he
wrote.
Dr Nelson sold the Super Hornet option to cabinet's National
Security Committee this year without the co-operation of defence
chiefs or undertaking the detailed analysis that usually precedes
acquisitions of such scale and expense.
Just months before Dr Nelson's pitch, RAAF planners had said an
interim jet was not required. Defence analysts, meanwhile, have
argued that the Super Hornet is the wrong aircraft anyway, lacking
stealth and power.
The Super Hornet contract like all those for foreign military
sales can be abandoned at a cost of about $300 million. If the
contract is not dumped, the Government may seek to renegotiate its
terms or buy fewer planes.
The Government's review takes place against a backdrop of rapid
advances in Russian-made fighter jets, many of which are being sold
to governments in the Asia-Pacific region.
