New Aircraft for the RNZAF?

Sorry to spoil the party... but the word on the street is that New-Zealand will be getting the aging F-111s from Australia which are currently being decommissioned. 😛

...plus a bunch of Hueys 😳

Unfortunatly to burst your bubble 😕 The RAAF Hueys are also at the end of their life span as well as the RNZAF's. If we were to get their Hueys, We would only use for a probable 1 year if not half that.

Also, unfortunatly our Prime Minister Hon. John Key, denied 4-6 months ago that we were going to get supersonic bomber aircraft.

Yesterday, another UH-1 Iroquios was pulled off the RNZAF's active fleet. I think the shells of the heli's are being sold to the RAAF.

I have also searched the RNZAF's database at Whenuapai, and have found plans for new squadrons? Unfortunatly it didn't have any information whatsoever about any new aircraft, nor any plans on what the new hangers would be accomodating. If I realease anymore information and my Section Commander catches me I'm sorta stuffed.

:\ Complicated

I was only yanking your chain in the above message.

When the F-14s were retired in the U.S. I had to take a few days vacation and spoil myself with... well, all kinds of stuff to get over the shock. Now that only happened about a couple of years ago I think. Further, if the databank inside my brain is up-to-date, Iran is the only country which officially still retains F-14s for active duty - if they can get them off the ground that is.

...and now the F-111s in Australia. What a shame; but obviously modern demands are the priority.
Thinking about the Hueys I can only cry. The consolation is that they are still in use around the world in various capacities.

PS: I find it amusing that you call your Prime Minister "Hon"... I used to call my girlfriend that. 🙂

Tailhook wrote:

Thinking about the Hueys I can only cry. The consolation is that they are still in use around the world in various capacities.

The Huey is by kilometers my favourite aircraft in the world... I am just obsessed with it :]

PS: I find it amusing that you call your Prime Minister "Hon"... I used to call my girlfriend that. 🙂

Haha, since I am part of a Government Department, I have to name our Prime Minister, 'The Honorable John Key'. Pfft, if I have to do that for the rest of my life I'm stuffed 😛

Yeah TH You are right, so far as I know Iran is the sole operator of the great cat anymore... and given their relationship with the US, it won't be long before they are grounded for good. When I went to Pensacola couple weeks ago I kept telling my girlfriend that I was going to replace the living room couch with the tomcat cockpit/front end they had on display haha. Sadly it would not fit in her car, and she refused to help me carry it.

I would not doubt NZ getting Hornets... but at 38 mill a pop, that is no chicken feed... whooo. What's the exchange rate on that anyway?

belgeode wrote:

Yeah TH You are right, so far as I know Iran is the sole operator of the great cat anymore... and given their relationship with the US, it won't be long before they are grounded for good.

Hmm... fill me in bel, are you suggesting that US can't see eye to eye with the THEM? I wonder what brought that on. JK, I'm well aware of the history. Now it goes without saying that for Iran to acquire spare parts and the munitions to get the F-14s fully operational if they really wanted to would be no problem at all considering the untouchable arms trade and other shady wheelings and dealings.
Where it all goes pear-shaped is the lack of pilots instructors and maintenance personnel. Word is, not a single American F-14 instructor as well as maintenance personal have volunteered even though the money is supposed to be quite good.

Not all is lost though, an Iranian friend from Isfahan assured me that now the search is on for bilingual American ex-F-14 engineers to move to Iran so the flight and procedure manuals can be translated into Farsi. Wanna join me?

Seriously now, surely to get the F-14s airborne again is a diversion tactic. After all, who needs an F-14 or even some of the more technically advanced a/c such as the F-18 and the still in development F-35 when you have nuclear weapons?

Ironically, Australia is one of the seven or so countries who have already signed up for the F-35. Australia is one if not the major exporters of uranium and we all know what uranium can be used for.

So in a nutshell, Australia is providing the main ingredient (uranium) to countries who are busy developing their nuclear weapons, while Australa commits itself to paying billions for a new F-35 fleet and thus most likely send the local economy broke.

The moral of the story: Iran probably has figured out that they don't require any of the conventional defenses such as fighter jets if they have nuclear weapons.

Crazy world.

belgeode wrote:

I would not doubt NZ getting Hornets... but at 38 mill a pop, that is no chicken feed... whooo. What's the exchange rate on that anyway?

Um, last time I checked it was... (Pulls out iPhone) (20 minutes later), But if we did it would cost about $80million NZD a pop.

O-well, we need some slightly over-priced jet-fighters at our disposal.

People are finally realising that we need to have jets, not just be 'bludgers' in the Pacific.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3805716/Return-of-air-force-combat-wing-backed

Tom12 wrote:

Haha, maybe when I get sick of flying the 757 I'll choose the F/A-18 😀

Are you serious? The 757 P/W ratio is as good as the F/A-18s, those things are rockets 😀
On topic, its good to see that NZ are getting their fixed-wing fighter squadron back online, would be great to see some F/A-18s with the Kiwi Roundel.

Greetings from across the Ditch ( or Dtch as you kiwis say it 😉 )

Cheeks wrote:

Are you serious? The 757 P/W ratio is as good as the F/A-18s, those things are rockets 😀

Come to think of it, the p/w ratio is pretty close..

Greetings from the other side of the ditch as-well