"Graham" wrote in message
...
I agree with Tas, i'm just a digger

I won't hold it against you, but you need more than a digger's eye view to
grasp some of this.

but i do see what is getting used the
most on deployments in this new climate and its not F111 (great aircraft
tho) and really i dont see them or a a new type being used often or at
all.

There's a Chinese bloke named Sun Tzu, he wrote a book called "The Art of
War". In it, he says the only true victory in a war is to not have to fight
it. Fighting it (and hopefully) then winning it, is a bit of a mug's game.
F111's (and their class of aircraft) are designed not to win wars by
fighting them but to win wars by preventing them. Show me an infantry
battalion that can do *that*.

When was the F111s last used in combat?

Ours? Never. The Yank's, Gulf War 1.

What is being used allmost to the breaking point is us (diggers) and our
equipment.

And you haven't even been in a proper war yet. Makes you worry, doesn't it?

We need more 50 to 100% full time battalions and the suport to go with it
(the suport is not there now).

Glad to see you're thinking above Private level. As they say, "Amateurs talk
tactics, professionals talk logistics". People who think infantry are the be
all and end all of the ADF are the sorts of people our enemies love. Easy to
outsmart.

More troop lift (blackhawks ect)

Hopefully, Air 9000 will deliver something more capable than that.

more Lavs ect

Agreed. Some proper APCs wouldn't go astray either.

and we definitely need more
sea transport landing types.

Concur. We should be doing more to develop Incat's product before the Yank's
steal another bloody good idea off us.

This is where our limited budget neads to go.

Can't agree with that. If we do it your way, we'll end up with an ADF that
will actually have to defend Australia. Sun Tzu wouldn't approve.

Truely I cant sea a situation where we will need the long range of the 111
to defend Aus, who is willing or wants to have a go at us?

I guess you haven't read the paper lately.

I just dont see
anyone out there who realy would have a go.

Wake up................. the rag-heads are on our case right now. If the
Intel revealed a al-Q or JI camp someplace that we couldn't openly get at,
wouldn't it makes sense to go in and bomb said camp with a plane that fly
across countries and avoid radar detection, hit the camp, and make it back
to international airspace without needing AAR 4 or 5 times?

The F111s are great but can we aford them now (old) and what is needed? ie
look at what is being used. We just dont have the $ for every thing we
need.

We would if we didn't waste millions on arts festivals for lefty ******s.

Spend the $ where its needed is what i say.

Spend the money where it will give us the most strategic value, I say.


--
De Oppresso Liber.