On Sep 10, 3:28*pm, "David E. Powell"
wrote:
I was wondeirng, given the NZ government having problems with
Skyhawks, what made them so put off about them? I know they are older,
but the Israelis really modified theirs and they seemed OK with
precision weapons.

Can the A-4 Skyhawk mount Harpoon missiles? If not I would guess that
Penguin or something like that would be doable. With a good mix of
fuel tanks and underwing missiles I could see the A-4 giving the New
Zealanders a good quick-reaction capability over a very good range.

Are the Kiwis planning to replace the A-4 with a new attack jet type
due to expense and maintenance or are they just making the decision
they don't need that type of craft for their defensive needs?

At any rate A-4s being used as aggressors for training today is still
pretty cool after about 50 or so years of Skyhawk service.

With the disposal of the A-4s and the Aermacchis, the RNZAF would
appear to have gone from an air force to an air service. However,
their Orions and Sea Sprites remain combat-capable. In 2007, I saw
RNZAF personnel working in the Persian Gulf supporting coalition
maritime patrol ops.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO