PARAS & ROYAL MARINES TO MERGE??

[mrclark303]

Mate, my eldest granddaughter's husband was an engineering officer in HMAS CANBERRA. He told me that the flight deck isn't strong enough for the weight (and landing force) anything but helicopters. That means that helicopter gunships with their limited linger, range and capability would the only close air support an opposed landing could expect if the ship was operating independently and beyond the range of land based RAAF close air support.

Paul, if that's right, then that is outrageous and and a scandalous waste of Australian taxpayers money.

Canberra and her sister have been built with ski jumps (not bolted to the flight deck, but part of the intrinsic design) to enable them to operate F35B's, the jump serves no other purpose.

Should Australia procure a number of B models, then Canberra and her sister would be very useful and capable light multi roll aircraft carriers.

As Ron quite rightly says, Australia is an Island nation.

Like the UK its entirety dependent on its main line of supply, ie the sea.

After a very long wait, the UK has finally woken up to the need to operate Aircraft Carriers again and is in the process of commissioning two 70,000 ton vessels.

The UK has decimated its conventional defences to fight the War on terror, a grave mistake and one that will one day bite us on the arse.

If I was a US taxpayer, I would be very unhappy at having to guarantee and fund Defence for the entire Western world!