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Updated: Sun Aug 29 16:43:38 UTC 2010
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26th
July, 2005
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The Editor
Air Power Australia
http://www.ausairpower.net/
Dear Sir,
I would just like to say that I greatly enjoy reading your defense
articles and find myself agreeing with most of your conclusions,
particularly your views regarding the F-111 and its early retirement.
It is a pity that as an experiment the Air Force doesn't take one F-111
and fully upgrade it, including fitting F-14 engines, then test the
likely improved performance, reliability and reduced operation costs,
before they blindly scrap it on argued reliability and cost grounds. I
see that the stand off weapon that Defense is depending on for the F18
upgrade, to enable retirement of the F-111, the AGM-158 JASSM, now
faces the risk of being axed by the US Government.
To suggest that the very expensive ASW Orion can be used as a land
attack aircraft when armed with these weapons, in skies occupied by
Su-27s, makes as much sense as the defending of Rabaul against Zero
attack with Wirraway trainers during WW2, and would have a likely
similar result. If such missions are ever attempted during hostile
times the Defense bean counters who scrapped the F-111 should fly the
Orions. I would refuse to fly such likely suicide missions if I was an
Orion crew member.
Best wishes
Terry McCarthy
Cherrybrook, NSW
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![Australia's First Online Journal Covering Air Power Issues [ISSN 1832-2433]](apa-analyses.png "Australia's First Online Journal Covering Air Power Issues [ISSN 1832-2433]")
