NZRAF

[rick66]

Just a few pics of a A4 above Northland

and another

[ardypilot]

Beauty Mate!

If only the airforce had those in real life

Where can I download that aircraft- it's a stunner

[rick66]

Beauty Mate!

If only the airforce had those in real life

Where can I download that aircraft- it's a stunner

Hey Trolly the A4 is the Razbam payware Volume 4 from flight sim pilot shop if you google razbam youll find it at heaps of sites

[cirrusnature]

This bring back memories. I remember driving towards Wanganui just out of Bulls and one of those flew very low overhead on approach. Boy ,was it loud!

[ardypilot]

Please excuse my very little knowlage of the RNZAF, but I never knew they ever operated jet fighters?

Why did they ever stop?

[Blackmagic]

Ahh the joys of politics!

Basically the purchased some American crap planes that were no good and soon got mothballed. Not sure of the status of these planes now I believe they are heading for the scrap heap or are still in mothballs at Ohakea?

One of those grease rubbing trade deals with the Yanks that goes along the same lines as being shafted each time we deal with them

Ever wondered why the Americans dont have any Airlines coming to New Zealand? Simple they cant find us on a map and Australia is easier to find

[rick66]

Ahh the joys of politics!

Basically the purchased some American crap planes that were no good and soon got mothballed.  Not sure of the status of these planes now I believe they are heading for the scrap heap or are still in mothballs at Ohakea?

One of those grease rubbing trade deals with the Yanks that goes along the same lines as being shafted each time we deal with them 

Ever wondered why the Americans dont have any Airlines coming to New Zealand?  Simple they cant find us on a map and Australia is easier to find 

I believe Helen Clarke Sold most of them to the singapore airforce as spare parts and some of the A4 upgrade aircraft went too, wait 4 this the israeli airforce as drone targets for air to air tests for their F16 falcons as target practice.{and this information came from an x RNZAF Navigator who i fly with} Rick

[Jenks]

Not quite...

There are a lot of rumours and misinformation around concerning the RNZAF's strike aircraft.

The Skyhawks have been stored at Woodbourne in Blenheim, and are in the process of being cleared for sale to a private American firm who will operate them in a dissimilar air combat role on contract to the USAF. They are just waiting for the final clearance from the US government.

This is necessary because of the very high-spec avionics/weapons fit on them. All the Skyhawks were upgraded to full 'Kahu' standard and were superior in avionics and weapons capability to all but the latest F16 models (except for speed obviously!). Definitely not deserving of the 'clapped out' labels that Helen Clarke gave them, and definitely not 'crap planes' BlackMagic!

Yes, they were old in years, but they were still very capable and potent aircraft. They were disbanded/axed for purely political reasons. In fact the RNZAF had already purchased 28 secondhand F16s as a replacement and we had pilots in the USA overseeing their reactivation (they were ex Pakistan AF models that were never delivered because of an embargo). We had even paid the 'deposit' on them, but Helen Clarke was so determined to axe the strike force that she even wrote off the money already spent.

We also operated Macchi MB339s - another very capable aircraft. These too were axed by the Labour government for political reasons. If you go past Ohakea you can still see one or two of these flying some days as they keep a couple airworthy to show potential customers. Not sure if they have been sold yet, but it was rumoured that the Malaysian air force was interested in them.