Aircraft facts

Question 1

F/A-18A/B Hornet

Answer 1

• Strike
• Boeing
• Multirole fighter aircraft
• A is single seat B twin seat
• air-to-air/ground mission
• air interception, air combat, close air support ground troops, interdiction of enemy supply lines
• Exercises: Bersama Lima/shield (Malaysia), Red flag (Alaska), Pitch Black (NT)
• 12.4 wingspam
• Engines: Two low-bypass F404-GE-400 turbofans(7,258kg thrust each)
• ceiling 45000ft
• AIM-132 adv short range air-to-air missile (ASRAAM)
• Avionics: mission computers, head up displays

Question 2

F-35A Lightning

Answer 2

• Strike
• Lockheed Martin
• Multirole fighter aircraft
• Replace the F/A-18 Hornets
• first will come by 2018 at Williamtown SQN 3 - operational in 2021
• all 72 fully operational in 2023
• capable of supersonic flight whilst retaining stealth - 9G manoeuvrability
• 10.7m wingspan
• 50000 ft ceiling
• Engines: Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100
• Network and Data fusion capabilities
• AIM-9X “Sidewinder” Short Range Air-toAir Missile

Question 3

F/A-18F Super Hornets

Answer 3

• Strike
• Boeing
• Multirole fighter aircraft
• air-toair/ground missions
• Twin seat
• air interception, air combat, close air support ground troops, interdiction of enemy supply lines
• Exercises: Pitch Black (NT), Bersama Shield (Malaysia)
• Operation OKRA in the Middle East.
• Increased wing area allows them to carry more stores on their extra hardpoints
• 13.6m wingspan
• Engines: Two F414-GE-400 turbofans (9,800 kg thrust each)
• 50000ft ceiling
• AIM-9X “Sidewinder” Short Range Air-to-Air Missile
• Avionics: mission computers, head up displays

Question 4

EA-18G Growler

Answer 4

• Strike
• Airborne electronic attack aircraft
• Force level electronic warfare: disrupting, deceiving or denying a broad range of military electronic systems
• Based on the super hornet with ALQ radio-frequency jamming pods and enhanced radio frequency receivers
• 13.7m wingspan
• 50000ft ceiling
• Engines: Two F414-GE-400 engines
• AIM-9X “Sidewinder” Short Range Air-to-Air Missile
• AGM-88 Anti-Radiation Missiles

Question 5

C-17A Globemaster III

Answer 5

• Air Mobility
• Boeing
• Strategic airlift and heavy multi-role transport
• Rapidly deploy troops, supplies, combat vehicles, heavy equipment and helicopters anywhere in the world.
• 3X carrying capacity of the Hercules ( up to 77 tonnes)
• Operation: SLIPPER (Afghanistan) QUEENSLAND FLOOD ASSIST, CHRISTCHURCH ASSIST, PHILIPPINES ASSIST, SOUTHERN INDIAN OCEAN, BRING THEM HOME, OKRA.
• Capable of landing on dirt strips as short as 3,500 ft
• 51.8m Wingspan
• 45000ft ceiling
• Engines:Four Pratt and Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofans (40,440 lbs thrust each)

Question 6

C-130J Hercules

Answer 6

• Air Mobility
• Lockheed Martin
• Tactical and medium transport
• Capable of carrying 120 passengers, or seven pallets of cargo, ability to land on short or unsurfaced airstrips, air dropping supplies, parachuting personnel.
• • Operation PAKISTAN ASSIST II, PACIFIC ASSIST, CHRISTCHURCH ASSIST, YASI ASSIST, ACCORDION, OKRA.
• Fitted with night-vision goggles and electronic counter-measures.
• 40.4m Wingspan
• 40000ft ceiling
• Engines Four Allison AE2100D3 turboprops (4,590 shaft horsepower each) driving 6-blade variable-pitch propellers

Question 7

PC-9A

Answer 7

• Pilot training, forward air control and aerobatics
• Pilatus
• Will fly in Advance training course at Base Pearce doing 130hrs
• qualified pilots train at base east sale to become qualified flying instructors and become eligible to fly with the Roulettes ( aerobatics display team)
• Four modified PC-9/A (Forward Air Control variant) aircraft in grey paintwork fitted with smoke grenade dispensers for target marking, at Base Williamtown, to train ADF Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs, formerly forward air controllers), who coordinate air support to troops on the ground.
• Introduced to RAAF in 1987
• 10.2m Wingspan
• 25000ft ceiling
• Pratt and Whitney PT6A-62 turboprop (950 shaft horsepower)
• Avionics: VHF omni-directional range/ instrument landing system, two multi-functional displays

Question 8

Hawk 127

Answer 8

• Lead-in fighter training
• BAE Systems
• Leads qualified Air Force pilots for operational conversion to F/A-18A and F/A-18B Hornets and F/A-18F Super Hornets.
• 14 week Introductory Fighter Course at RAAF Base Pearce with the Hawk, which includes general flying, instrument flying, formation flying, night flying and navigation.
• Graduates then progress to a 20 week course at RAAF Base Williamtown for instruction in air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons training with the Hawk. Only then, can pilots progress to operational conversion to F/A-18A/B Hornet or F/A-18F Super Hornet.
• 9.39 m Wingspan
• 50,000 feet ceiling
• Single Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour Mk 871
• Practice AIM-9M Infrared Missiles
• The principal components are two display and mission computers (DMCs), which coordinate, process and command the display of information from the communications, navigation and attack sub-systems

Question 9

PC-21

Answer 9

• Pilatus
• Future Pilot training (2017)
• Will replace PC - 9A and CT-4B
• PC-21 is equipped with a pressurised cockpit, air conditioning, an anti-G system and on-board oxygen generation
• first two PC-21 aircraft will arrive in Australia in mid 2017.
• is capable of sustained low-level speeds in excess of 320 knots and hydraulically assisted ailerons and roll spoilers can produce fighter-likerates of roll in excess of 200 degrees per second.
• ceiling 25,000 feet
• Pratt and Whitney PT6A-68B turboprop (1600 shaft horsepower)