I remember reading during the LIFT program, that resulted in the purchase of the Hawk, that the RAAF made it very clear that the program was for the aquisition of a lead in trainer and that CAS was not a requirement and that any excess capability in that area would in actual fact be regarded unfavorably.

 

The RAAF are by their own admission very concerned that they may be distracted from what they see as their primary roles if they are expected to provide any serious level of support to the Army or Navy.

 

It was all very well to promise that they would defend the fleet from air attack when they were fighting the carrier replacement program and that they would give  the Army all the CAS it could ever want when it was trying to keep the Blackhawks and earlier when it successfully scuttled a planned AH-1 Cobra purchase.  Bt now those issues have been decided, for better or worse, the RAAF has gone back to its old ways of believing that every military objective can be acheived through the destruction of point targets by advanced strike aircraft.

 

I'm just waiting for the suggestion that the Navy aquires stealthy cruise missiles for the AWD's and Collins in place of the entire F-35 purchace.  It would be just as detrimental as building up the fighter strike force to the detriment of the Army and Navy.  Balance is what is needed, but not what we are getting.