Forbes: The Australian Air Force Can Send Just Two Fighters Into Battle With China
With China’s armed forces growing bigger and more sophisticated by the year, Western and allied militaries are scrambling to keep up.
The Australian military, for one, has a plan for taking the fight to China. As part of a $400 billion defense-wide plan stretching out to 2030, the Royal Australian Air Force intends to arm its growing fleet of American-made fighters with long-range cruise missiles.
Farther in the future, additional support planes could further bolster the fighters.
But the tyranny of distance—Australia lies more than a thousand miles from any likely battle zone—imposes hard limits on Canberra’s ability to wage aerial warfare against a distant enemy. Every mile an air package must travel in order to reach the fight decreases its endurance in battle and increases its reliance on tankers and early-warning planes.
And those support planes are in short supply.
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WNU Editor: That is the problem with the F-35A. It's operational range is limited.
6 comments:
The F-35 is an American program. If Australia wants to challenge China, they are going to need all domestic military programs that are completely independent from America.
In a conflict, among the first things China would do is blockade America so that nothing would get in or out. Also, I'd expect the infrastructure used to generate parts for the F-35 to be destroyed as well. It's not a pretty picture but reality often isn't pretty.
Again with the fantasy scenario
What's fantasy? Maybe what I suggest doesn't come to pass, however, to confront China Australia, America, and the "west" are going to need yo get ALLOT stronger.
Your country is "in the neighborhood" with China. China is clearly the biggest and strongest one "on the block." Furthermore I'm not seeing any organized resistance in the region that would be necessary to confront China and I'm seeing more and more countries lining I p with China. Make wise decisions here!!
Poster,
I think your statement of more and more countries lining up with China is dated. I also tend to believe the lack of organized resistance to china you mention is correct though becoming more of a like mind.
As for the Aussies, I feel they must first get rid of the obamma syndrome that inflicts some of their leadership and economic decisions. The funds misallocated by this syndrome could free up funding for defense upgrades and a more efficient economy and stronger military.
Rather than buy bunches of additional refueling planes it would make much more sense for the Aussies to enter into long-term joint-basing agreements with neighboring countries (such as East Timor, Indonesia, and the Philippines) where the neighbors provide the land and the Aussies pay to build and maintain the airbases. This would get the host nations new facilities they don't have and the Aussies refueling stops they need, along with rearming and repair facilities.
If the host countries want the bases far from their populations to avoid potential future collateral damage there are lots of relatively remote locations to set up new facilities (e.g. Atauro Island, the Balabalagan Islands, and Mapun Island). Even a small number of Aussie and host nation aircraft at those locations would be a nightmare for Chinese expansionist ambitions.
Even if the host countries didn't choose to co-habit the bases, there would still be political benefits to the host countries in making a clear statement to the Chinese that they have upset the whole neighborhood and should expect broad based resistance to their behavior.
Though many times I agree with fazman and B. Poster this time I do not, rather the above Anon is to me on the right track.
China's most important near term strategic goal is securing safe passage of the Sunda gap and Malaccan strait.
Australia presents a mortal danger to them. Unfortunately because of it's size and population characteristics Australia is a very difficult proposition. China cannot neutralize Australia without occupation, and if the Aussies are anything like the ones I knew in Nam, good luck on trying them out.
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