Proof Committee Hansard SENATE FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE AND TRADE LEGISLATION COMMITTEE Estimates
(Public) WEDNESDAY, 25 FEBRUARY 2015 CANBERRA"...
Senator LUDLAM: So the third and fourth quarters of 2020. I have a couple of issues to run through—as you probably anticipate—around issues which we only have access to from the Defence press and from articles that come across our desk. These are different performance issues. I have a couple of questions on notice, which have only just lapsed so they are not unreasonably late, but I will put a few issues to you. Firstly, reporting: I understand that the aircraft uses fuel as an element of its internal heat sink and they have noticed in the US that if they are refuelling from very warm tankers that have been sitting in the sun for a period of time it makes the aircraft unsafe to fly because the fuel is at a very high temperature. Has that issue come across your desk?
Air Vice Marshal Davies: That is not across my desk. I have been aware, though, of issues around fuel temperature, but at the moment I am not aware of any issue that would prevent us acquiring the aircraft in the time frame we plan. Yesterday, at the Avalon air show, I spoke with Lieutenant General Bogdan and that was certainly not an issue that was discussed or raised as being a problem.
Air Vice Marshal Deeble: I am the program manager for JSF. There are no issues associated with the fuel that would not otherwise be inherent in any aircraft. So JSF does not suffer from a fuel problem.
Senator LUDLAM: A fuel temperature problem relating—
Air Vice Marshal Deeble: A fuel temperature problem.
Senator LUDLAM: The issue in the article that I came across was actually that the colour of the fuel trucks made a difference. If they were dark green, you would get a different fuel temperature than if they were white.
Air Vice Marshal Deeble: We are
agnostic to the colour of the fuel tank that refuels the JSF...."
&
...
Senator LUDLAM: One issue that I came across—maybe this is not something that you or your pilots would worry about—is that the ammunition that the aircraft would carry would allow it to fire for about four seconds before it was out of ammunition.
Air Chief Marshal Binskin: That is not unusual. The Hornet is six seconds.
Senator LUDLAM: Six seconds.
Air Chief Marshal Binskin: Yes, depending on the rate of fire that you choose. So that is not unusual. That is a lot of lead that goes down range in four seconds, though.
Senator LUDLAM: But it is gone very quickly, and would the JSF be anticipated to fly in the same kind of role as a Hornet—for close escort?
Air Chief Marshal Binskin: The gun is not a close escort weapon. A gun is a weapon that keeps people honest when you get close. To be honest with you, if the JSF ends up in a gun fight, you have got a lot more issues that you need to have addressed.
Senator LUDLAM: You would have if you were out of ammunition, I guess.
Air Chief Marshal Binskin: In fact, you may as well pull out the knife and the pistol that the pilot is carrying and go to that because it is not designed to get into that sort of fight.
Source: http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/dow ... ec/0001%22 (PDF 1.3Mb)