SayethWhaaaa

There are well over 300 airframes in AMARC in Arizona (I think) that are in great condition that the RAAF buys and canibalises for parts. However, there's been a fear campaign from the current administration suggesting that the condition of the F-111s is quite poor and that parts are rare and maintenance costs are skyrocketing. This is partly to support funding for the JSF since early retirement of the F-111 would help pave the way for a JSF introduction in 2014 (as opposed to 2018/2019), assuming LM can keep their end of the deal and deliver them on time.

I can't remember the exact number but it's 4-5 Airbus tankers and 4 (plus 2 options) Wedgetail AWACS. The real question is, how close are they going to have to be to the AO? As for specific Pig replacements, probably only 3 aircraft on the market can fit that role, those being the F-15E family, the Su-34 and the Su-24. Now Australia won't buy Russian for several reasons but mostly because we're (historically) a purchaser of European/American systems and the political doctrine of having the highest ability to integrate with US forces (thus meaning to have compatible weapons systems). Many in the AF were surprised the Strike Eagle wasn't considered as it seemed to many as the logical choice and there was a pretty favourable lend-lease arrangement deal on the table as of 2001 which, from my experience, was reasonably popular with the RAAF but less so politically. The Eurofighter wouldn't have been chosen simply because current thinking is "if we're going to spend AUD $100 Mil + (which we can't afford anyhow) on a new platform, it better be Gen 5 state of the art." Rafael may have been considered, the RAAF has no issues with Dassault or the French per se, but politically, the relationship has been a little bumpy yet, still better than the one with Boeing! AFAIK, the F-16 was last offered in the early 80s as a mirage replacement (along with the F-15) and it wasn't offered this time because LM was garnering support for the JSF. And Dept of Defence will rarely buy new toys off the shelf (the PC-9s, Hawk 127s and SuperBugs are the obvious exceptions). The biggest concern overall by the ADF (over the past few years at least) is that there has been less consultation with military officials and an increasing participation of lobby groups. Several decisions have been made without the participation of the ADF, particularly with the decision to be involved with the F-35 and the replacement options for the Pig, but also with the introduction of stand off weapons. The RAAF knows that employing JASSM (and our longer range variant) and potentially JASSOW will significantly enhance strike options, however they're a bit annoyed that the platform to be used seemed to be arbitrarily decided. The current plan is to have Bug/SuperBug wings and AP-3C Orions take over the long range strike roles until the F-35 is delivered. This is very much a "last option" stop gap. Neither have what you could call "dash speed". And it doesn't help that there's a general ignorance of the Su-30MK series coupled with the thinking that stealth is a panacea... Also one other thing. A couple of years ago when this pig: landed wheels up due to a landing gear malfunction, the entire fleet was grounded until the fault was found. If we're replacing all Pigs, Hornets and eventually Super Hornets with the JSF, and there's a JSF accident. What do we do when the whole fleet gets grounded...?

Can someone tell me how the hell I can recall my account details for BF2?? It used to be that under the manage accounts button, I'd type in my email address and it would send me out an email with my details, password, etc. My now, all I get is this Gamespy sh*t which asks me to update my details but has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING related to BF2 apparantly... I know EA have been absolutely stellar in their support of BF2, but tell me they haven't outsourced their account keeping too?? Any pointers in the right direction would be great as I'm only babysteps from my next promo.

Zat you ghost? Remind me not to piss you off...

The first vietcong has a very good co-op mode and there are a bunch of co-op maps available for download. Only problem is that the game engine is starting to show its age, especially after you play something like CoD4.

Come on dude, cut the Commies some slack. It's hard to act smart when you have more teeth than brain cells . Goddamn I can't stand people here who call themselves communist or especially socialist. Why, because I'm a left leaner and they do my cause more damage than the right leaners could do. I mean, even the Chinese elite don't take Communism seriously. Why... ooh, I don't know, look at the effect it can have on your defence industry, using the Shenyang F-8 as an example...

So what's the deal with weapon mods? After gaining exp with one, do you get prompted to attatch gear to it, or do you just start the next level with taped mags or sights etc? What about things like bipods for sinper rifles? I gotta say, after reading Axis of Time, I'm keen to get my mits on an Stg44 with an underslung grenade launcher. jk I gotta say I'm with you Jedi, in regards to wainting for this one to cheapen a bit. Cash isn't the issue, just that the MOH series, in my opinion, hasn't been that strong since infinity ward gained their independence. They know how to make an intense shooter. I'm not EA bashing, but they've been playing catch up since then and not doing too good a job. I was pretty disappointed with MOH Pacific and you can only do "D-Day" so many times.

So... I guess no one else has had problems with Battlefield 2's awkward account recovery system...? Damn... I don't wanna have to start from scratch unlocking my toys again...

Yeah, he's known for his Phoenix carrying Eagles that never seem to run out of ammo...

I don't get how they think they can get away with LOPEd payloads considering you can see what everyone is using! By the way, is that the same Eagle Driver who was involved with that 'all aircraft, all nations' hoax mod from a couple of years ago. If so, you guys aren't the first ones to ban him. Not by a long shot!

Hall of shame... damn. I could have some fun with that!

Apparently you can mod your weapons during the campaign... What can you do exactly? Add sights, silencers, firing grips, etc?

Since the same paper reported months ago that the IRIAF had signed a deal to buy 250 Su-27SK/30MKs, I'd take whatever they say with a BIG grain of salt...

Bob... you keep talking like a biotch, I'm gonna have to slap you like a biotch! :rofl: BTW, you don't have to worry aout a civil war here at CA. We were never that civil to begin with...

...and is it wrong that I like the Vanessa Hudgens one too, or is that the scotch talking...?

Goddamn that was a good album! I really got into the Fragile too, pretty much most anything Trent produced since 92. The Broken EP was a blast! Just curious, but are there any Nick Cave fans out there? I saw him again at the Thebby here in Radelaide and it was a killer performance again... his first song for the set was Red Right Hand! Love it!

Aren't they doing that with B-52Hs in Afghanistan? Makes a lot of sense having that size airframe (even F-111/Su-24/Su-34 sized platforms) plus that size playload and having that ammount of fuel to burn between top ups. Would be a be much more effective than having Bugs or SuperBugs burning through the fuel while orbiting the AO... but try and get that through to your defence dept when they've made up their mind to by the Superbug! (PS and given that at that point, your side OWNS airspace over the target, if not total air superiority, you won't need to worry much about stealth.)

Bob's just a little confused. He's the information minister, not a jihadist. He also has an inability to spot paratroopers landing at certain airports...

O-oh you called a Jihad... I'm telling Mum! Hey Jedi, don't forget there was a fourth Iron Eagle where somehow Doug Master returned from the dead! But you're right, they all really sucked balls!

No, I'm afraid if it were a joke, it would have started "Marcelo walks into a bar with a rabbi and a monk, when the monk says..." In any event though, from what I gathered, the Eurotras-- I mean the Eurofighter wasn't a priority task (have a look at what he was working on, you'll see what I mean). Plus he's Brazillian... hard to work when your country is home to some of the cutest girls in the world...

Alrighty mods, we've got our first John Tesh fan. I'll keep an eye on this one, you guys secure the exits. Jedi, keep your mind open. Where there's a Tesh fan, there's a Sith Lord.We'll find him if he's around here somewhere... Where's PaulN with the chloroform?? :biggrin:

Just had my new ride built on Saturday. Running an Nvidia 8800GTS with 320meg onboard (because I didn't wanna wait till Monday for the 640meg). Hasn't even broken a sweat yet. It's great!

NO WAY! I hadn't heard anything about that for a while and was getting scared they were running outta dough... That's great news!

How cool do the IR laser beams look when you enter the building wearing nvgs?! Gold!

I used to love using the M249 in games, but it's just a bit of a glorified bb gun. In the new Australian Forces mod, it's been replaced with the F89 Minimi (think that's just the non US desig) and it's great. I'm dropping players/bots/teammates with quick 3-4 round bursts just like in CoD! And seriously, those grenade launchers?? WTF? That pineapple launcher in GRAW 2 has balls and the M4/M203 in CoD4 is gold. I can clear a room in one shot like I'm sposed to! That one in BF2 is like a pissy ninja flick special effect! If they really wanna balance the game, why not introduce a limit on certain classes like Vietcong did? You know, a limit of 2 snipers per side at any one time...? That kinda thing.