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Posted on 08/20/2007 9:19:52 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Carrier training for our pilots
Mark Dodd | August 21, 2007
AUSTRALIAN fighter pilots will be taught to land on aircraft carriers for the first time in 25 years.
A select handful of Royal Australian Air Force instructors will be chosen for lessons on how to land on US aircraft carriers flying the new F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter.
The plan, which could eventually lead to participation in US carrier-based operations, marks the first time Australian pilots have flown off aircraft carriers since the retirement of the navy's flagship carrier HMAS Melbourne in 1982.
The carrier training underscores the rapidly evolving military partnership between the US and Australian military.
Senior US navy sources said the relationship was likely to involve an increasing convergence in training and tactics between the RAAF's fast jets and their US equivalent.
RAAF Flight Lieutenant John Haly will become the first Australian air force pilot to become carrier-qualified when he attempts his toughest flying skills test later this year.
Asked to clarify RAAF Super Hornet training, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said yesterday: "There is no plan for RAAF pilots to undertake training in aircraft carrier landings."
The official government line contradicts briefings provided to The Australian by senior US military officials at Lemoore Naval Air Station in California that other RAAF "Top Gun" instructor pilots are expected to follow Flight Lieutenant Haly and be provided with carrier training.
Full-scale Super Hornet training for RAAF air crew starts in the US in 2009.
"We've got him (Flight Lieutenant Haly) driving on the right side of the road so we figure he's trainable," said Lemoore-based Commander Art "Kato" Delacruz, executive officer of Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-122.
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...
Can anyone provide an explanation on why the Aussies retired their carrier?
ping
The Aussies elected a liberal government which chose not to fund a replacement.
Money and sailors to man it!!!!!!............
The Aussies brought 2 light carriers(less than 20K tonnes) from Britain after the second world war,the last of them being taken out of service in the early 80s,since they were obsolete.Australia intended to purchase the HMS Invincible along with Harrier jets,but the Falklands war convinced Britain to keep them.
With China as a looming threat this makes sense.
That I don’t know, but I would think they are looking at China as a possible threat.
1. Age. Had been in service 28 years. Was due to be replaced by HMS Invincible (to be renamed HMAS Australia), After the Falklands, the Brits decided to retain Invincible
2. Labor Party tradition. When newly elected scrap some defence capabilty (usually Navy), In 1972 it was the troop transport HMAS Sydney, the new fast combat support ship and DDL programs. (The Air Force lost a Mirage squadron at the same time)
In 1982 it was Melbourne/Melbourne relacement
I hear we may have a carrier (CV-67, USS JFK) that is still servicable.....maybe we are going to arrange a sale??????
1. It's not servicable without spending a couple of billion dollars
2, Even if it was, it's too frelling big to dry-dock in Australia, and requires too many crew.
I hope we can do something to help the Australians to build the strike capability of their navy. The ChiComs are building their navy as fast as possible. The Aussies are friends. All of the testicles that remain in the English-speaking world are in the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
US Marines train on HMS ILLUSTRIOUS
and now this.
Intersting and good developments for Western cooperation
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“Can anyone provide an explanation on why the Aussies retired their carrier?”
It’s hard to pay for a carrier with such a small population.
This is not necessarily for the Royal Australian Navy.The Super Hornets are for the Airforce.Training on US carriers give them long range capabilities in the event of conflict.All on (Uncle Sam’s) House!!!!!!
There is little evidence to suggest now that the Aussies plan to build dedicated carriers,let alone one to deploy the Super Hornet.They are considering,though,modifying their 2 upcoming amphibious ships to launch the F-35B V/STOL versions.
You mean the same New Zealand that wound up it’s Air Force a few years ago?????
The Navy has a handful of exchange instructors in our training units and a lot of them request to carrier qualify at the end of their initial training. It isn't required, but many do it for the experience and credibility with their future students. I don't care what country you are from fighter pilots don't like being called chicken.
?? I wasn’t calling anyone anything, I was just picking up on the comment about learning to drive on the right side of the road. As the tongue-in-cheek comment in the article said, if our Aussie friends can learn to drive on the right then I’m sure we can find many other ways to work together!! I have the utmost respect for anyone able and willing to learn to land on a carrier. I’m all for offering such training to our best allies so long as it doesn’t take away anything from our own training and operations.
fwiw, my uncle flew A-1s and A-4s over 20 years in the USN. I have loved his stories and photos for as long as I can remember.
Didn't think you were.
I was just decoding "Kato's" comment about sending the Aussies to the boat. I've known Kato for about 8 years. He was on staff at Top Gun when I went through the class. Great dude.
This whole article looks like an Aussie newspaper taking a few traps as a sign that the Australian military as getting back in the carrier business.
OH, sorry, my bad.... I thought you took my flippancy as an insult to Aussie pilots or something...... just ignore me. :^)
No. I love Aussie pilots, especially since they can get the embassy to ship them cases of Victoria Bitter. :)
I remember the Melbourne being in Hong Kong for RR at the same time our ship was there. Great bunch of mates.
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