Inquiry into the planned acquisition of the F-35 Lighting II (Joint Strike Fighter) [
Fifteen Pages all told]
09 Feb 2016 Williams Foundation"...
Alternatives to the F-35The Super Hornet, F-16 Block 60, F-15, Typhoon Euro Fighter, Rafael and Gripen were all analysed and considered by Australia as options for its future air combat capability but none of them were able to meet all of Australia’s requirements. All were vulnerable to advanced threats and they did not provide the same opportunity to be continually upgraded to meet these evolving threats.
The F-22 was also evaluated by the Air Force for its abilities to meet Australia’s future air combat needs. While undoubtedly the world’s best air dominance fighter, the F-22 could not meet all of Australia’s multi-role requirements necessary to deliver the integrated air combat capability and support to the joint force....
...
Acquisition of Eastern Block aircraft were also considered but would come with prohibitive restrictions in terms of interoperability for combined operations.
F-35 ProgramAustralia first invested in the F-35 Program in 2002 along with the other partner nations namely the US, UK, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Denmark and Norway. Since then, other nations such as Israel, South Korea and Japan have also concluded that the F-35 is the best choice for their air capability needs. Not all of these countries – including the world’s pre-eminent fighter forces - can be wrong.
There is no question that the Program has experienced considerable schedule delays and cost increases since it was first approved. Development cost increases, however, have not been passed on to partner countries and Australia has always maintained considerable levels of contingency to cover increases in acquisition costs.
Since the Program was re-baselined in 2012, it has remained on budget, on schedule and meeting capability parameters. Australia still retains some margin to cater for any further schedule slippage in the Program should it occur.
For a Program of this complexity, test and evaluation (T&E) inevitably will identify issues that need to be resolved. Australia is leveraging off US T&E while its own T&E efforts are focused on integrating the F-35 with other ADF capabilities. The progressive resolution of these issues is clearly demonstrated by the fact that around 200 F-35s will be in operational service by end 2016....
...What makes the F-22 and F-35 special is not just that they have unmatched sensors and stealth, but that they make everyone else in the ecosystem more capable. A good analogy for a small force with limited resources such as the RAAF is the fact that the USAF only received some 180 F-22s out of a planned force of up to 750, and thus had to “come to grips” with integrating the F-22 into its force
to make its legacy aircraft better.
The F-35 should not be treated just as a replacement aircraft for the Hornet or Super Hornet as this would undermine its real capability. It does not replace anything, it is unique, it is revolutionary, and it is in a world never before defined by what tactical platforms can do....
...The Super Hornet was erroneously touted as a
replacement for the F-111...
...
StealthStealth is much more than just the traditional view of using radical shaping and exotic materials to give a low radar cross section. True low observability (LO) is designed in from the ground up in every signature of the platform, including IR, RF and the visual spectrums. LO technology also means minimising the probability of intercept of its electronic emissions while at the same time enhancing networking capabilities and situational awareness to give a pilot decision superiority.
Stealth is not about preventing detection; it’s about ensuring access. True stealth means that the pilot is able to choose where to operate, when to engage or disengage, and when to be seen or not be seen. It means reducing an adversary’s situational awareness to almost zero, thereby providing improved mission success and increased survivability.
InteroperabilityTo fully realise the potential that the F-35 offers it needs to be fully integrated into the ADF’s force structure and not employed as a stand-alone 5th generation capability.
The F-35 and its 5th generation capabilities will make many of the ADF’s other capabilities more effective....
...
Key ConclusionsStudies conducted by The Sir Richard Williams Foundation have concluded that the F-35 is the only viable candidate that will meet the full range of Australia’s air combat needs into the future.
The two important goals of the Australian F-35 Program are to deliver a new air combat capability that will meet Australia’s needs to 2025 and beyond and deliver a strong Defence industry that supports the F-35.
The 5th generation F-35 is a whole new way of doing business for the ADF and will require a number of key enabler capabilities in order to maximise its potential to make not just the RAAF but key elements of the whole ADF better.
If the ADF wants to limit the F-35 to a tactical role, then that will be very easy to do. But if the ADF wants to expand this ecosystem and include in it other mission sets – including ones that nobody has yet thought of - the capacity is there to do it.
The F-35 is not simply a replacement for the F/A18 but an introduction to a different way of thinking about operations, land, sea and air. It is the epitome of RAAF’s Plan Jericho approach; how do we do it better?"
Source: http://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ash ... bId=409113 (PDF 213Kb)
22 Feb 2016, 03:17
Thanks 'smsgtmac' & 'hornetfinn' for uncovering the oldness of the Norskie SimDood. 
OOoops - my bad. 
