Claims new RAAF warplane outmatched
Australian ABC TV's Four Corners program last night criticized the government's decision to replace the F-111 with the F/A-18F. It also quoted aviation analyst Dr Carlo Kopp who said the Super Hornets will be outclassed by Chinese, Malaysian and Indonesian Flankers.
Kopp gave a glowing review of the Super Hornet back in 2001 after a demonstration flight by Boeing. But he has become a critic after the Australian purchase and keep pushing for the purchase of F-22 instead, well doesn't he know that LM has no way to give him a demonstration flight in a Raptor? To the Boeing folks, we at Alert 5 will not turn ungrateful if given the chance to fly in a Boeing fighter.
The Australian Defense Force last night issued a statement refuting the criticisms. Group Captain Steve Roberton, Head of the Defence Air Combat Transition Office, was quoted saying : "If a Super Hornet was to meet a Su-30 in the next 5-8 years and I had to bet my life on the outcome, I'll sit in the Super Hornet F-18F cockpit every time. Any pilot who has flown the new Block II F-18F with AESA radar would do the same."
Incidentally, Harley Wayne from ABC actually left a comment seeking views on our Super Hornet Raptor gun kill web page while researching for that program two weeks ago.
Sources
Claims new RAAF warplane outmatched
Flying Blind
Flying the F/A-18F Super Hornet
Defense response to Four Corners
Labels: RAAF Super Hornets
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