** Video courtesy of & copyright owned by TVNZ ** Broadcast: (New Zealand): November, 1987. A "Today Tonight" report on the start of the Royal New Zealand Air Force's A-4K Skyhawk upgrade.
I saw an ad looking for maintainers some where ,possibly for a co mainting them for a country in S.America....could have been located out in Arizona somewhere....Interesting topic...
It is similar to the project of the Brazilian Air Force in the modernization of the F5 Tiger ll of the FAB (Brazilian Air Force) that transformed third-generation fighters into fourth-generation fighters
New Zealand should look at the recent T-50/FA-50 (KAI/Lockheed Martin project) combination which serves a dual purpose as an interim advanced fighter trainer and a light fighter/attack aircraft. (South Korea has recently put into service their first FA-50 squadron of these with Israeli avionics and armed with M61 Vulcan cannon + AIM9X Sidewinders). Their current combat air wing runs with F-15SK, F-4E and FA-50.
Singapore wanted to base an air force squadron in Ohakea a few years ago. I don't know why they couldn't. It might have been something to do with local residents opposing the noise levels.
All the work done, fighter pilots that beat the latest f16 pilots at top gun with near perfect sortie missions against us pilots. All wasted when Prime Minister Helen Clark in 1997 disbanded those squadrons, also canning their F16 replacements we ordered.
Some of those A-4's are still flying today for Draken International as aggressors against the USAF. So much for them being clapped out Skyhawk's Helen!
Nah waste of time bro, she wouldn't get the death penalty for that anymore. Helen Clarke's govt got rid of the death penalty for treason back in the early 2000s...
I was in RNZAF in Auckland when the Skyhawks where towed from the ship they arrived in to Whenuapai Air Base I saw them being towed a long the northern motorway a site to be seen. The pilots were like kids with new toys I think most of them had been to the USA to be trained but the Skyhawks where great to see them flying one day saw one take off and went straight up. Few years later I was at the bombing range and we where standing on a hill and one when passed, the pilot waved great fun
Not all of them. The RNZAF bought new build A-4Ks from the US in 1970. In 1984 additional A-4Gs were purchased from Australia when the RAN disposed of them.
@@milkybar06 NZ was later offered a lot of F16s from the USA(originally intended for Pakistan apparently) at a relatively low price, but government changed and cancelled the deal. www.adf-serials.com.au/nz-serials/nzf-16.htm
Salam and Respect from Pakistan. Had NZAF purchased those "embargoed" Pakistani F16s then PAF couldn't get the rage of spark it needed to co-produce JF-17 and spend that "wanabe" cash which it could got from the sale of those F16s on purchasing Mirage 2000s. So, thanks you New Zealand.
Too bad Malaysia didnt go the same way in updating their A-4 Skyhawk like those updated by New Zealand and Singapore. The Skyhawk maybe obsolete but when you implement latest technologies, it can be equally potent in its capabilities. Imagine having A-4 with Helmet Mounted System for AAMs and even using BVR missiles!!!!!
Its more about political will in 2019 than $$$, the NZ government is one of the few in the developed world in "surplus" with relatively low debt to GDP. NZ could easily afford a tangible combat wing but at this stage air shows is all they would be good for.
@@milkybar06 NZ is not going to be facing fighter aircraft as potential enemy range is too short. Only China and Russia have a few carriers. I can't imagine NATO missing a task force on the way to Aus/NZ and China and Russia are friendly to NZ anyway.
@ Ahh well actually NZ government debt is among the lowest in the OECD and has mostly run a surplus for the last 10 years (excluding the disaster that is 2020). NZ could easily afford a small modern combat wing, but as you say the money is better spent elsewhere.
4 года назад
@@Battleneter There's a difference between maintaining an air combat wing that's already there and having to bring one back from essentially scratch.
Sukhois and migs dont relly make sense for us. They are awesome aircraft but they obviouslt are very different from western aircraft designs in terms of cockpit layout and avionics which would be a pain in the ass to convert to. Plus buying russian planes means that they will probably pressure into supporting their agendas regardless of our opion on that
@ Yes but when you look at how much was blown on LAV 3 project that left us with 30 now in storage, or how much was spent on the NH90 we could of easily afforded a mere 150 million dollar lease to buy option offered then to run three squadrons! Cheap as chips deal but Helen Clark didnt care.We could of made do with several more new built blackhawks at half the cost of Nh90 and half as many APCs.And still had the Fl6 replacements.
We did beat MIG-29's, F-16's with our skyhawks the HUD footage is easy to find. The F-16 was our dream and the government pulled out of the deal of the century.
@ You're right in that the Skyhawks had to go. They were totally outdated by 2001 and were in need of some replacement. But that's not the point. The point is that rather than replace them the strike capabilities were removed altogether - a rejection by the Clark government of what was said to have been 'the deal of the century' - the US offering New Zealand 28 F-16s which was projected to save $430 million over the lifespan of the aircraft, under the assumption that the RNZAF would retain a Strike Force into the future
It worked though. We had dog fights against F-16's, F-18's F-5's etc and won. In the 1990's we did a simulated attack with 5 Skyhawks against RAAF Tindal an Australian F-18 Hornet base. We fought our way into their airspace and shot down 4 Hornets with not 1 A-4 loss. The Skyhawk is a capable aircraft in the right hands.
