cwemyss -> RE: HMAS Canberra (4/16/2014 2:32:23 AM)
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ORIGINAL: NickD quote:
ORIGINAL: Maromak I think it was just a case of saving money by not redesigning the deck to remove the ski jump. Yes, that's correct. Apparently the ski jump is an important structural feature of the design, and removing it would have required lots of expensive design work (and increased the risks associated with this project). And would have taken away options. :-) Never say "never". AU1 and AU2, the first two Australian F-35As, are slated to deliver this year, I think. Withhold judgement until your operators actually get hands-on experience, until the cost of and-on production jets is known, until we know exactly what China has in mind for their fleet, and until we see what happens to the US fleet. It could be that in a decade, US congressional deadlock and budget neglect have met rising Chinese belligerence halfway, and a dozen F-35Bs suddenly look like a relatively cheap/quick way to get some badly needed F/W aviation into the RAN.
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