Aug-Sep-Oct, Nov-Dec 1971-Jan 1972 - Navy League of Australia

ACROSS THE NATIONFOR INFORMATION:AmalgamatedWireless (A'Asia) Ltd.HEADOFFICE:167 QUEEN STREET, MELBOURNETelephone: 67 9161Service and Spare Parts Division:33 RANKINS ROAD, KENSINGTONTelephone: 33 0421Sponsored by:Provincial TradersPty. Ltd.INDUSTRIAL MARGARINEMEAT MEAL —EDIBLE FATREDBAND —GOLD BANDForsyth Road, Laverton,Vic. 3028Phone: 399 1115; 399 1291AIRCRAFT FROM BRITAINshore-based aircraft to give defenceto vessels at sea in terms of airstrike.but also recognise its abilityto drive off or destroy shadowingenemy aircraft long before shorebasedaid could be called, even if itwere available.The Harrier must be very much inthe minds of Royal Australian Navyplanners, particularly as the aircraftcarrier H.M.A.S Melbourne will bephased out at the end of the presentdecade.At present the R.A.A.F. is definitelynot interested in the Harrier. Itsmajor concern is selecting thereplacement for its four squadronsof Mirage fighters by the end of thedecade and getting the finance fortheir replacements. Nonetheless,there can be little doubt that theAustralian Army will be looking forground support now being given bythe Harrier to British ground forcesin Germany, the more so because ofthe recent decision to cancel theorder for the 11 helicopter gunshipsit had sought.In the light of all this, the attitudeof the U.S. Marine Corps towards theHarrier is of vital interest toAustralian defence planning.The U.S.M.C. will acquire no fewerthan 114 Harriers by 1974. this initself representing a major breakthroughfor the British aircraftindustry into a market which hascome to rely almost exclusively onhome design and production.The Marine Corps does not believethat helicopters have the weaponsdelivery accuracy and survivabilityto take on a defended hard targetand this is why it does not share theU.S. Army's confidence in theCheyenne gunship.Hawker Siddeley know they are ona winner and have been quick intheir response for more and morepower for the aircraft.The original Rolls-Royce BristolPegasus engine had a thrust of about16.000 lb., which gave it far too littlepayload. But the Pegasus 10 enginehas been developed to give a thrustof 20.500 lb. and Pegasus 11 willcarry it to 21.500 lb., allowing theHarrier with an empty weight of12.400 lb., up to 9.000 lb. for fuelA Sea King helicopter armed with four Mk. 44 torpedoes and operating in the A.S.W. role.000 ton British aircraft carrier. H.M.S. ARK ROYAL.and ordnance in the vertical take-offfunction.Sooner or later it seems inevitablethat the R.A.N, will acquire Harriersand it also seems most likely that theArmy will need them in a supportrole, however unwilling the R.A.A.F.might now be to look at them.One thing is certain, by the timeAustralia gets Harriers, the presentspeed of improvement in theirperformance will result in a vastlymore effective V/STOL fighter thanthat in use today.The new British through-deckcruisers of about 20.000 tons willbegin to appear about the time theaircraft-carrier Ark Royal iswithdrawn from service at the end of1978This was revealed in a specialbriefing by Admiral Sir EdwardAshmore. who recently assumedsupreme command of the RoyalNavy the world over.The cruisers were being designedas an anti-submarine force, he said,to augment the present one andwould be equipped with Sea Kinghelicopters.They would also be equipped withthe Harrier, which would supplementthe ability of shore-based aircraft togive the fleet defence in terms of airstrike.His reference to the Sea Kinghelicopters is of more than passinginterest as the R.A.N, must shortlyseek a replacement for its Wessexhelicopters, which operate fromT