In todays modern air combat it's not aircraft vs. aircraft it's a whole package and the Super Hornet fits very well in that package.
Australian defense chief says military '100 percent' behind Boeing's Super Hornet jets
The Associated Press
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
CANBERRA, Australia: Australia's defense chief praised the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet Wednesday after the defense minister warned a multibillion dollar contract to buy 24 of the Boeing-manufactured aircraft could be scrapped if the plane does not meed the country's needs.
The previous government announced a year ago that it had signed a 6 billion Australian dollar (US$4.6 billion; 3.5 billion) contract to buy the Super Hornets as a transitional aircraft, to be phased out by the Lockheed F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighter over the next decade.
The contract was criticized at the time by the opposition Labor Party, which won elections in November and announced a review this week of Australia's air combat capabilities.
The head of Australia's defense force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, told a Senate inquiry Wednesday "there is 100 percent support for the Super Hornet in the Defense Force at the moment."
"It's an awesome capability ... that is genuinely better than anything around at the moment, other than an F-22 or F-35," Houston said, also referring to Lockheed's F-22 Raptor.
The F-22 is now in service with the U.S. Air Force, while the F-35 won't enter service for several more years. Both are barred from sale outside the United States.
Houston said the Super Hornet was "more than a match" for Russian-built Sukhoi jet fighters flown by some countries in Asia.
"This would give us an ability to maintain a very large capability edge over the Sukhoi capabilities that are being fielded in and around the region at the moment," he said.
Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said the Super Hornet contract will be scrapped if a review finds the aircraft does not meet Australia's needs.
"If the advice comes to me from the review that the Super Hornet is not up to the job, I would have no hesitation in canceling it," Fitzgibbon told Fairfax Radio Network on Tuesday.
"It is true there would be enormous financial penalties and some pressure on the (U.S.-Australian) alliance relationship ... if we were to cancel that project," he added.
Australia can expect to pay at least A$400 million (US$365 million; 248 million) in penalties if it cancels the order, Defense Department official Stephen Gumley told the Senate inquiry.
The Super Hornet is built by U.S. companies Boeing, Northrup Grumman, GE Aircraft Engines and Raytheon, along with more than 1,800 suppliers in the United States and Canada, according to Boeing's Web site.
Link
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/20/asia/AS-GEN-Australia-Jet-Fighters.php
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