‘At the time very little was known about either aircraft and the F-22 was being quoted as approximately four times more expensive than the JSF so I thought the Australian position was understandable at that time’. The basis of this position must be divulged to the Australian public in open forum and be subjected to critical evaluation by interested Australians – not interested foreign contractors and Defence Department bureaucrats advising the Minister.” From Air Vice-Marshal Criss’s perspective, the decision to join the collaborative development team working on the JSF in the late nineties wascommendable however, unfortunately some appear to have allowed this investment to incorrectly influence the potential procurement advice going to the Minster he said.Īir Vice Marshal Criss was present at discussions between the Chief of both the United States and Australian air forces in the late nineties when the F-22 was offered to the RAAF and it was dismissed out of hand by the Australian delegate. He said he had heard the Minister recently quoted as saying that the JSF may not be the aircraft for Australia but the F22 would not be a contender.
“Air Vice-Marshal Criss has called for an open debate between all interested Australian parties at a neutral location on all aspects associated with the selection of a replacement aircraft or aircrafts for the existing F/A-18 and the F-111 fleets.
F 22 raptor vs f 35 lightning full#
Retired Air Vice Marshal Peter Criss’ full statement, forwarded to DID via email, reads as follows: In the end, however, the F-22’s production line shutdown by the USA made the issue moot. DID’s Spotlight article chronicles those positions, while offering links and background materials from both sides of the Australian debate. While that F/A-18F purchase is very close to a fait accompli, Australia’s F-35 purchase has moved from an assumed conclusion to a very serious debate. But Mr Criss says the RAAF should, in fact, consider buying the F-22 Raptor…”Ĭriss’ disquiet was the first significant breaking of ranks by top military brass over this issue, but Australia’s opposition Labor Party soon stepped into the fray with a formal statement, discussing the fighter gap that will exist between the F-111’s planned retirement early in 2010 and the proposed F-35A LRIP(Low Rate Initial Production – a more expensive phase) purchase in 2013 or later.Ī subsequent purchase announcement and follow-on contracts for 24 F/A-18F Block II Super Hornets have only intensified the discussion.
The Government committed an initial $300 million to become an early partner in the JSF program, with a final decision to be made by 2008. “ Retired RAAF air vice-marshal Peter Criss has put aside usual conventions to openly question the wisdom of Canberra spending about $16 billion for the F-35 Lightning, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter. In their October 2006 article, “ Rapped in the Raptor: why Australia must have the best,” Australian newspaper The Age reported that: