Hornet de RAAF, aterrizaron en Nellis, Nevada, para tomar parte en el ‘Red Flag’, el ejercicio mas avanzado de entrenamiento de combate a nivel internacional. Se inició el 21 de Febrero y tiene dos semanas de duración. Los 8 F/A-18 Hornet desplazados proceden del 77 Squadron, Williamtown, y han sido apoyados por un C-17 del 36 Squadron, Amberley, y un C-130 Hercules del 37 Squadron. El ejercicio se lleva a cabo en Nellis, Nevada, al norte de Las Vegas.
Por otra parte, según theaustralian.com, la fuerza aérea con que cuenta Australia, es la menor en número de los últimos tiempos, debido al reducido número de aviones de combate disponibles. Al menos el 75% de la flota ha sido paralizada debido a mantenimiento y modernizaciones. Tan solo unos pocos pueden ser enviados a misiones de combate debido a la escasa protección electrónica de que disponen para protegerse de las modernas defensas actuales.
Tan solo 21 de los 71 F/A-18 Hornet están disponibles, a los que hay que sumar 15 F-111, los cuales ya ha reanudado las operaciones, tras su paralización tras el incidente sufrido por uno de ellos en una exhibición, lo que ha motivado que se acelere su proceso de sustitución por 26 F/A-18 Super Hornet. Los Hornet de la RAAF fueron ensamblados en Australia en los 80, y está previsto que se mantengan en servicio hasta 2018, fecha en que serán sustituidos por el Joint Strike Fighter.
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Australian Air Force aircraft have touched down at Nellis Air Force Base in the United States, ahead of the major multinational ‘Exercise Red Flag’.
Exercise Red Flag is the United States Air Force’s most advanced international air combat training activity. It commenced on Sunday, 21 February 2010 and will run for two weeks.Around 160 Air Force personnel have deployed, along with eight F/A-18 Hornets from Number 77 Squadron at Williamtown, NSW, supported by a No 36 Squadron C-17 Globemaster from Amberley, Qld, and a No 37 Squadron C-130 Hercules from Richmond, NSW. The exercise is conducted on the 24,000km² Nevada Test and Training Range, north of Las Vegas. It will comprise aircrews flying a variety of mission types against opposing ‘aggressor’ fighter aircraft and extensive simulated surface-to-air threats. Commander Air Combat Group, Air Commodore Mel Hupfeld, said, “Red Flag provides invaluable training for our logistics, support and maintenance personnel, as they are able to practice deploying to another country and working together with other air forces”.
On the other hand, according theaustralian.com the nation's air combat force has withered to its smallest size in a generation, with less than half of the country's fighter jets available for operations.
At times this year as many as three out of four of the RAAF's 86 fighter jets have been grounded due to maintenance, upgrades or safety concerns. Of those warplanes that are available, only a handful can be sent into combat because they do not yet have sufficient electronic protection to survive against modern air defences.
The Weekend Australian understands that only 21 of the RAAF's 71 F/A-18 Hornets are currently available, while the 15 ageing F-111 strike bombers were only cleared to fly again last week after being grounded early this month when an in-flight emergency forced a safety review. The parlous state of the frontline air force has added urgency to the arrival of 26 F/A-18 Super Hornets that were purchased for $6 billion.Defence Minister stated that Air force is at all times generating sufficient combat capability to meet government requirements. The government has promised to inject more funds into making defence equipment more battle-ready. It has recently come under pressure to explain why the navy has been unable to put more than one of its six submarines to sea on a regular basis.Defence sources say the F/A-18 Hornet fleet, which is of 1980s vintage, has been hit by maintenance issues, delayed upgrade programs and staffing problems. After a safety review, the F-111 fleet was cleared to fly again on February 19, but the 1960s-vintage strike bomber is due to be retired at the end of the year and is considered unlikely to be given heavy operational requirements from now on. The RAAF's 71 Hornets were designed in the US and assembled in Australia in the 1980s. As a result, they have been subjected to rolling upgrades to their systems and airframes to ensure they can provide effective air defence until the first squadron of new Joint Strike Fighters comes into service in 2018.
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