Australia's defence budget: A$72,766,619.18 per day

Think tank Australian Strategic Policy Institute has produced a 255 page report titled the Cost of Defence about Australia's 2011-2012 defence budget. It pegs the daily expenditure at A$72.8 million ($77 million).

While the report touches on all aspects of Australia's military. It expresses doubts that  Australia is on-track to achieve Force 2030, the high-tech, flexible force envisaged in a 2009 government white paper. The issue, said ASPI, is delayed acquisition programmes.

While ASPI's insights into the issues facing Australia's defence establishment are worth reading, the sections dealing with air force, army, and naval aviation are illuminating.

Page 69 offers a stark glimpse of how the engine problems the army has faced with the NH Industries MRH-90 transport helicopter have affected flying hours. Between 2009-2010 the army hoped for nearly 3000 hours, but ended up with less than 500.

One of the RAAF's troubled programmes, the Boeing 737-based Wedgetail airborne warning & control (AEW&C) aircraft, produced just over 100 hours in 2009-2010, far short of the 500 hours planned. The other problem child, the KC-30A tanker (due to be inducted soon, two years late), does not even get a chart.

On page 92 ASPI details the cost per flying hour of all types. The F-18 E/F Super Hornet runs the RAAF A$22,900 per flying hour. This is a bargain compared with the Wedgetail (A$65,800) and MRH-90 (A$34,700).

The best part of the report runs from page 197 to 207. Here defence journalist Gregor Ferguson of Australian Defence Magazine provides a well-written review of the challenges Australia faces training new pilots, as well as the programmes designed to meet Australia's future training needs.

Ferguson also offers perspective into the outlook for Australia's airlift fleet. He describes how the new battlefield airlifter (either the C-27J Spartan or C-295) will one day integrate with Australia's fleet of C-17s (interior shot below), C-130s, and Chinooks. The C-130, he adds, could eventually be replaced by the A400M.