Australia's Aircraft Carrier Plans

The Navy (RAN) wants to buy an Aircraft Carrier. Well they should get one, since the last was supposed to be replaced.


THE Royal Australian Navy has produced a secret $4 billion "wish list" that includes an aircraft carrier, an extra air warfare destroyer and long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles for its submarine fleet.
The RAN wants a third 26,000 tonne amphibious ship equipped with vertical take-off jet fighters, a fourth $2 billion air warfare destroyer and cruise missiles that could strike targets thousands of kilometres away.

Aircraft carrier on navy's secret $4bn wish list

Why not just build a nuclear powered aircraft carrier which doesn't need 'constant refuelling'? Also it would ba able to complete long missions.

Australia also needs to consider its Strategic options. That is the F111 and our Submarine fleet. Without the F111 we are going to lose our Strategic superiority in the region, and we will solely rely on Defence and any Navy warships (which we have few of) to offer any strategic value. A long range or medium range bomber option like the F111 is going to keep Australia's stategic options in play. If not, we are going to have to end up like those on the Kokoda track, Defending, defending and defending. The best form of defence is attack, and it seems Government has forgotten this principal. The Kokoda Foundation has (in its latest newsletter) suggested Australia needs 400 fighter aircraft for a reasonably secure future, considering the power of China and India's growth. Also, Indonesia and Malaysia are arming themselves with excellent weapons from Russia. We should be alarmed, but we are not.

Be Prepared............

The newest submission from the F111 and Air Power expert in Australia, Dr Carlo Kopp, is also defintely worth reading.