Just thought you would like to know, our “new” second hand Sea Sprite, state of the art helicopters, that have not yet reached operational service, were grounded today. Yes after spending over $AUS 1Billion, on them, they have decided the whole project was flawed. It seems now that a replacement for the Sea Sprites will now have to be sought!!! And to think I was looking foward to building a kit with Aussie markings!! Oh well, another what if project. I hope our C-17’s do not suffer the same fate!!![:D]
Commiserations But on my side of the Tasman i will continue to build the seasprite in my stash as our’s are flying very nicely. Could send you a web site for RNZAF markings as they are an ANZAC project.
Cheers
Yeah! How much does this ANNOY me? Apparently several of the 10 Sea Sprite airframes are more than 25 years old…so I’ve heard…and the cost to refurbish the bloody things to current Oz Navy ASW standards is MORE than the cost of 10 BRAND NEW Seahawks, built to Oz Navy specs …what a pack of morons.
Our tax dollars well spent…[V]
this is all australias fault[:(!] if they were a bit smarter and didn’t change the specs all the time
they would be ready by now.The kiwis are going great guns because they kept it simple
this is typical of th defence dept someone got there palm greased [soapbox]
mick [8-]
All Australia’s fault?
Man…you got that one right…I’m not sure WHAT the ADF wants…don’t think THEY are either.
It’s a shame that they just can’t seen to get their collective *&%$ together…I mean, look at the Collins Class subs…they were so noisy that ASW operators were in danger of having their hearing damaged because of all that noise…
There is a news report on the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) website which states: "The Minister’s spokesman says the problems involve flying at night, over water and in mists. " That’s really great news for a naval helo isn’t it?
From what I understand, the aircraft acquired for the RNZN were new-build units, whereas the RAN aircraft were “remanufactured” based on airframes in storage.
The problem exists because they have been trying to shove state of the art digital systems into what is essentially a 30+ year old aircraft, which are intended to integrate with the C3 systems on the ANZAC (MEKO 200 based) class frigates. Another problem exists in that from the start of the ANZAC Class project, the Seasprites were always intended to be an integral part of the overall package. Apparently the S-70B Seahawks can operate off the ANZACs but with difficulty (due to size issues?)
For the time being, the fleet is grounded pending the results of a review to determine whether or not the program should continue or be cancelled completely and a replacement sought.
Yes - in truth, the Sea Sprites are a much smaller airframe - the need dictated by the hangar size of the frigates they build at Williamstown. The SeaHawks just won’t fit.
Some of the SeaSprites (I’ve been led to believe) actually saw action in the Viet Nam War…is that right?..they’ve been in mothballs for so long that there was a small issue of minor corrosion, (not to mention the complete redesign of the electronics sweet - again and again) necessitating a near-complete dismantling and re-assembly of the airframes to attack the corrosion problem…we might just be able to use the Sea Sprites in another 10 years or so…by that time, the expense will have been about as much as the cost of an entire aircraft carrier…like I said, our tax dollars at work. Goody.