Earlier today the Department of Defence and RAAF took a number of journos up on a C-130 for an air-to-air photo shoot with Hornets to coincide with this week's Avalon airshow. You can view the slideshow below or go here for a full-screen view.
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F-111 Performing Dump and Burn for the last time on behalf of Australian Air Force RAAF at Singapore Air show 2010. Photograph: AirSpace user illuminati
The Defence Material Organisation has started preparations for the F-111's last rites by issuing Request for Tender Number RFT/DMO/ASD/001/2011, which "requires physical destruction and disposal of F-111 aircraft, TF-30 engines and associated components and equipment currently located at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland".
The Pig is set to be no more than scrap metal by 30 November.
The DMO plans for the scrapping to commence 1 August and conclude by 30 November. The tender closes 15 March.
Note that "Proper management of environment, health and safety hazards will be a key requirement of the contract."
Should you win the contract and manage to sneak out a Pig, these folks would love to have a F-111.
On Monday commenced Boeing's week-long media tour of its Australian operations. Boeing and its partners are undertaking some interesting and worthwhile projects in Australia ranging from UAVs to composites, the big-ticket items in aviation's future (check back later this week for updates on those).Australia is also home Boeing's largest presence outside of America with 2,800 employees, namely due to a large military defence presence that is now posing a serious quandary to Boeing: Boeing has sold to the Australian government Super Hornets, C-17s, Wedgetails, P-8s, Chinooks, and more. In fact Boeing has sold everything it possibly can to Australia. So what's left to sell?
More. More of what Australia already has--and doesn't seem to want more of.
Boeing has said Australia could benefit from more Super Hornets, but Canberra says otherwise.
Changes brought by the Obama administration "prompted the company to took at new directions" Boeing Australia & South Pacific President Ian Thomas said in a briefing about his company's defence products.
Boeing is now ramping up its effort to sell aircraft to other countries in the Asia Pacific region, such as Super Hornets to India and Japan.
But these sales efforts are compounded by an acrimonious series of delays and changes in the larger Boeing company, which Boeing is publicly and directly acknowledging in hopes of letting potential customers know it has changed.
"We are increasingly confident we'll deliver what we sold," Thomas said.
"We were all disappointed when we started disappointing the customer," VP Australia Business Development for Boeing Defense Space & Security Rick McCrary said.
Multiple talks and PowerPoints highlighted recent aircraft that have met every milestone and in the case of the Super Hornet were delivered early (the Wedgetail is another matter).
There are a number of international journos on this trip, including some from the above countries Boeing is aiming to sell products to. (Also joining is Flightglobal's Washington, D.C.-based defence editor Steve Trimble, author of our TheDEWLine blog.)
Boeing is confident of its Super Hornet chances in India and likely will have success elsewhere in the region. But in Australia can Boeing sell more aircraft, and in doing so find a way to have its cake, eat it, and bake another?
Follow Will Horton and Steve Trimble on Twitter for updates all week long.
On Monday commenced Boeing's week-long media tour of its Australian operations. Boeing and its partners are undertaking some interesting and worthwhile projects in Australia ranging from UAVs to composites, the big-ticket items in aviation's future (check back later this week for updates on those).Australia is also home Boeing's largest presence outside of America with 2,800 employees, namely due to a large military defence presence that is now posing a serious quandary to Boeing: Boeing has sold to the Australian government Super Hornets, C-17s, Wedgetails, P-8s, Chinooks, and more. In fact Boeing has sold everything it possibly can to Australia. So what's left to sell?
More. More of what Australia already has--and doesn't seem to want more of.
Boeing has said Australia could benefit from more Super Hornets, but Canberra says otherwise.
Changes brought by the Obama administration "prompted the company to took at new directions" Boeing Australia & South Pacific President Ian Thomas said in a briefing about his company's defence products.
Boeing is now ramping up its effort to sell aircraft to other countries in the Asia Pacific region, such as Super Hornets to India and Japan.
But these sales efforts are compounded by an acrimonious series of delays and changes in the larger Boeing company, which Boeing is publicly and directly acknowledging in hopes of letting potential customers know it has changed.
"We are increasingly confident we'll deliver what we sold," Thomas said.
"We were all disappointed when we started disappointing the customer," VP Australia Business Development for Boeing Defense Space & Security Rick McCrary said.
Multiple talks and PowerPoints highlighted recent aircraft that have met every milestone and in the case of the Super Hornet were delivered early (the Wedgetail is another matter).
There are a number of international journos on this trip, including some from the above countries Boeing is aiming to sell products to. (Also joining is Flightglobal's Washington, D.C.-based defence editor Steve Trimble, author of our TheDEWLine blog.)
Boeing is confident of its Super Hornet chances in India and likely will have success elsewhere in the region. But in Australia can Boeing sell more aircraft, and in doing so find a way to have its cake, eat it, and bake another?
Follow Will Horton and Steve Trimble on Twitter for updates all week long.
The first five of 24 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets for the Royal Australian Air Force have arrived in Australia at its largest air force base, Amberley in Queensland. The F/A-18Fs are Canberra's first new combat aircraft in 25 years.More here, including an update on Boeing's efforts to sell the Super Hornet to other countries.
Here's my video of the Super Hornets' fly over at Amberley yesterday. Short but sweet (and loud).
Yesterday the first 5 of 24 Super Hornets arrived in Australia from Naval Air Station Lemoore in California. The Super Hornets' trip across the Pacific involved multiple stops, including in Auckland where AirSpace photographer Peter Clark (NZpeteair) snapped these photos.
On the ground at Auckland
In about 14 hours the first 5 of 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets for the Royal Australian Air Force will touch down for the first time on Australian soil at Amberley Air Force Base, southwest of Brisbane in Queensland.Wings Down Under will be at the base for the event. You can follow me on Twitter for updates during the event. And of course there will be photos and videos afterwards.
But first, let's review what it's taken to have the Super Hornets arrive.
THE ORDER
May 2007--Dept of Defence signs a contract to acquire 24 F/A-18Fs. Australia becomes the first export customer. Cost will be A$2.9b while total investment is $6b over 10 years. The Super Hornets will replace the RAAF's ageing General Dynamics F-111 fleet, and provide a stopgap ahead of the delivery of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The order is immediately controversial. Critics argue the F-111s could stay in the fleet until F-35s arrive, making the Super Hornets unnecessary.
CANCEL THE ORDER?
January 2008--The contract, signed under the John Howard government, is thrown up in the air when the newly elected Labor government under Kevin Rudd comes to power. The government announces it will launch a "thorough review".
NO, STILL GOOD
March 2008--The government announces it will proceed with the Super Hornet purchase unchanged. At this point, Boeing has cut metal for the first jet.
MORE SUPER HORNETS?
February 2009--Canberra announces it will have 12 of its 24 F/A-18Fs re-wired to enable Australia to upgrade the aircraft to be E/A-18G Growlers. The re-wiring adds A$35m to the contract. Converting all 12 aircraft will add A$300m. This leads some to think Australia will order more Super Hornets.
ROLL OUT, 24 MEANS 24
8 July 2009--Boeing unveils the first F/A-18F for the RAAF.
Photos here and video below:
At the event, as we reported:
Air Marshal Mark Binskin welcomed the first of 24 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets ordered by the Royal Australian Air Force in an 8 July unveiling. However, he also made it clear that no additional orders for the type should ever be necessary.
There will be no "Plan B" if Lockheed encounters further problems with the F-35, he said. "Sorry, Bob, but no," Binskin said, half-jokingly, as he addressed Bob Gower, Boeing's vice-president for F/A-18.
FIRST FLIGHT
22 July 2009--The first Australian Super Hornet makes its maiden sortie, taking off from Lambert International Airport in St Louis, Missouri for a flight that lasts just over 1 hour.
LONGER LIFE, GROWLER UPDATE DELAYED
February 2010--The RAAF says its Super Hornets could remain in its fleet until 2030, longer than originally thought. At the same time, the RAAF says it is not in a rush to convert its 12 F/A-18Fs that are being wired for the E/A-18G Growler electronic-attack configuration.
DELIVERY FLIGHT
March 2010--Accompanied by a DC-10 tanker, the first 5 Super Hornets make their way from Naval Air Station Lemoore in California to Amberley. The aircraft make multiple stops, including in Hawaii and New Zealand.
Boeing releases this promotional video:
HOME SWEET HOME
26 March 2010--The five Super Hornets are planned to depart Auckland this morning and fly over the Gold Coast and Brisbane before touching down in the early afternoon at Amberley, their home base. They will be accompanied by F-111s, which they replace.
It's been a long journey, so if you're looking for something fast, here's a video of how to build a RAAF-bound Super Hornet in 3 minutes and 32 seconds.
(Top photo: Boeing)
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