Tony Abbott to approve
Australia’s biggest ever
military purchase of stealth
fighter jets


THE Abbott Government is set to give the green
light to the nation’s biggest ever military purchase
allowing Defence to order up to 86 American
made stealth fighter jets for the RAAF.
The planes will cost about $90 million each when
they roll off the assembly line between 2018 and
2020 and the overall project will cost some $14
billion during the 30-year life of the F-35 Joint
Strike Fighter.
It is understood that a submission to buy will be
presented to Cabinet’s National Security
Committee for approval within weeks.
The head of the Pentagon’s largest ever defence
project to buy 2400 of the “fifth generation’’
fighters has assured Australia that the
controversial project was “back on track’’ and that
Australian jets would be delivered on time and on
cost.
US Air Force Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan told
News Corp Australia in Sydney that apart from
some “trust and credibility’’ issues with the prime
contractor Lockheed Martin and engine maker
Pratt and Whitney, the JSF program was hitting all
of its milestones.
“The leadership of Lockheed Martin doing a much
better job of listening to the customer, which is
us,’’ he said.
The US will purchase 2443 of the fighters including
1763 conventional ‘A’ models for the air force, 360
‘B’ or vertical landing versions for the US Marine
Corps and 360 ‘C’ or carrier models for the US
Navy.
The JSF was one of the few military programs to
escape cuts under so-called US budget
sequestration.
“I have not lost a single penny in terms of
development, in terms of getting it done on
time,’’ General Bogdan said.
The first two RAAF ‘A’ model jets are on the
production line at Lockheed’s Fort Worth factory
and the first aircraft are due to arrive at RAAF
base Williamtown in 2018 with the first
operational and training squadrons online during
2020.
The JSF will replace the fleet of ageing F/A-18
Hornet fighter planes and will give the RAAF a
major edge over any regional force apart from
those allies such as Singapore who will also buy
the jet.
At the end of 2013 the JSF had flown 12,000 hours
over 8000 flights and there were 59 operational
planes and 20 test jets in the air.
“War fighters love flying it, technical challenges
are being overcome and we are just starting to
see the real capability of the aircraft,’’ he said.
At a Williams Foundation air power seminar in
Canberra yesterday, RAAF fighter pilot Squadron
Leader Matt Harper and US Marine Corps fighter
pilot Lieutenant Colonel Chip Berke both sang the
praises of the super computerised, fully networked
stealth aircraft.
Squadron Leader Harper was the first Australian to
fly the fifth generation F-22 Raptor and Lieutenant
Colonel Berke is the only pilot to fly both the F-22
and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
“Stealth makes you unstoppable and reduces an
adversaries situational awareness to almost zero,’’
Squadron Leader Harper said.
“The jet provides an exponential increase in
survivability, reduces mission risk and increases
the probability of mission success.’’
Lieutenant Colonel Berke said the old mantra of
“speed is life, more is better’’ had been replaced
by “information is life, more is better’’.
“Information is far more valuable than speed,’’ he
said.
“The F-35 has no peer in terms of information
dominance and the sharing of that information.’’
Australian companies are signed up for more than
$300 million worth of work on the JSF and there is
potential for more than $2 billion over the life of
the program.
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Sumber : www.news.com.au/national/tony-abbott-to-approve-australias-biggest-ever-military-purchase-of-stealth-fighter-jets/story-fncynjr2-1226851684344
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Versi Indonesianya

Tony Abbot setujui pembelian 86 ekor F35

Pemerintahan Tony Abbott memberikan lampu hijau kepada Departemen Pertahanan Australia untuk melakukan pembelian militer terbesar sepanjang sejarah Australia, yaitu untuk membeli hingga 86 jet tempur siluman F-35 buatan Amerika Serikat untuk Angkatan Udara Australia (RAAF), laman news.com.au melaporkan.

Ketika sudah dikirimkan antara tahun 2018 dan 2020, harga masing-masing F-35 akan sekitar USD 90 juta (sekitar 1,028 triliun) dan secara keseluruhan proyek pembelian ini akan memakan biaya USD 14 miliar, sudah termasuk "biaya hidup" bagi 86 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) selama 30 tahun.

Namun opsi pembelian ini masih perlu disajikan dihadapan Komite Keamanan Nasional Australia guna mendapatkan persetujuan.

Amerika serikat yang mengepalai proyek pengembangan F-35 dan berencana untuk membeli 2.443 unit pesawat generasi kelima ini telah berhasil meyakinkan Australia bahwa proyek F-35 tidak akan melenceng dari jalurnya (mengingat beberapa kendala pembangunan F-35) dan F-35 yang Australia inginkan akan dikirimkan tepat waktu.

Letnan Jenderal Chris Bogdan dari Angkatan Udara AS mengatakan kepada News Corp Australia di Sydney bahwa program JSF berjalan dengan baik. "Lockheed Martin melakukan pekerjaan jauh lebih baik daripada yang didengar oleh pelanggan, yaitu kita," katanya.

AS akan membeli 2.443 unit F-35 yang terdiri dari 1.763 unit F-35 konvensional atau model A untuk Angkatan Udara, 360 unit model B atau versi pendaratan vertikal untuk Korps Marinir dan 360 unit model C yaitu varian yang dioperasikan dari kapal induk untuk Angkatan Laut AS.

JSF merupakan program pengembangan senjata militer yang begitu banyak menguras anggaran AS, sekaligus sebagai program pembangunan senjata termahal dalam sejarah Pentagon.

Dua F-35 model A pertama RAAF sudah masuk lini produksi di pabrik Fort Worth Lockheed Martin, dan pesawat pertama dijadwalkan tiba di Pangkalan Udara Williamton RAAF pada 2018 dengan skuadron pertama akan beroperasi secara penuh pada tahun 2020.

JSF akan menggantikan armada pesawat tempur F/A Hornet dan akan memberikan RAAF keunggulan besar dari kekuatan regional lainnya bersama dengan Singapura yang juga berencana untuk membeli jet tempur siluman ini.

Hingga akhir 2013 lalu, JSF telah terbang selama 12.000 jam dalam 8000 penerbangan dan setidaknya sudah ada 59 pesawat yang dioperasikan dan 20 pesawat masih diuji coba.

Pada seminar kekuatan udara yang diadakan Williams Foundation di Canberra pada 11 Maret 2014, pilot tempur RAAF Squadron Leader (setingkat Mayor) Matt Harper dan dan pilot tempur Korps Marinir AS Letnan Kolonel Chip Berke keduanya memberikan pujian atas kecanggihan super komputer pada pesawat tempur JSF.

Squadron Leader Harper adalah orang Australia pertama yang menerbangkan pesawat tempur generasi kelima F-22 Raptor dan Letnan Kolonel Berke adalah satu-satunya orang yang menerbangkan F-22 dan F-35 JSF.

"Fitur siluman akan membuat Anda tak terbendung dan tingkat kesadaran situasional musuh akan menjadi nol," kata Harper.

"Jet ini akan meningkatkan survivabilitas dan mengurangi risiko misi dan meningkatkan kemungkinan keberhasilan misi. Informasi lebih berharga daripada (hanya mengandalkan) kecepatan," tambah Harper.

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Hadehhhh..
Saat formil banyak bantingan,.
Tetangga selatan borong F35..

#klo repost close aja mod
..Maap posting cm dr hp..