60 Minutes Australia: $ky High (2016)

there are 20 billion reasons why the federal government had to get the decision right in selecting the f-35 as our Air Force's next footages it is by far our biggest defense purchase ever but with 72 f-35 on the way we're apparently getting great bang for our buck the sales pitch boasts the jet is a flying supercomputer loaded with so much weaponry and G with stealth technology any enemy won't fear and won't stand a chance against it pigs might fly say the critics who complain the f-35 are badly designed the only Australian to know for sure are to our double AF pilots posted to the Arizona desert to train on the new aircraft and they invited me along to take a high-altitude close-up look at their deadly new toys as dreams go it doesn't get much better than mere squadron leaders andrew jackson and david belle's our Australian Air Force pilots posted to America to fly the brand-new f-35 fighter jet to me this will be just as exhilarating Wow the first journalist in the world to fly at the wingtip of the most sophisticated and contentious fighter ever built and there weren't that close to another airplane before no ha as someone who learned in a lot of claims is the f-35 just another plane it is but it's so much more than that yes it's an airplane but we haven't even begun to scratch the surface on the capability that it brings the f-35 is set to replace our aging fleet of f-18 Hornets and Super Hornets the cost nearly twenty billion dollars when you're dealing with a plan that is so cutting it were you even able to dream about something like this for me it was an opportunity I guess not only in Europe lane but it's cutting edge in terms of the technology it brings and everything else was from a career point of view an amazing opportunity that I was provided as a pilot when that's offered to you having a career on to replace our sweets every 30 35 years so to be in the right time this is really once in a generation life in a lifetime sign yeah I don't doubt it they jump into a four-year posting to Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix Arizona to train on the f-35 and now they're teaching pilots from the nine Allied nations in the f-35 program this is the home of the US 61st squadron the top dog commanded by Brigadier General Scott Floyd the training that we do here at Luke Air Force Base is absolutely second to none we are the world's greatest pilot training base and when we teach those pilots how to fly and fight we also teach them how to win and when you say you train the world's best are you talking about Australian pilots - absolutely [Music] despite the staggering cost of the f-35 there are serious questions about getting our money's worth Australia is buying 72 of them that they years behind schedule and way over budget the Warriors they are not living up to the hype and early models f-35 of the Lockheed Martin production line were riddled with design faults you're both aware of some of the criticism of the aircraft that it's not as maneuverable as earlier model planes that it's not as fast I mean is that the case in your opinion the flowing I've done in the aircraft indicates to me it's it's going to surprise people who think that way I think as we learn to use it I don't I don't think we're going to be concerned about that aspect but there has been infuriating delays the jackal and belly even as we looked on there was a malfunction after an hour Jaco had to swap to the second Australian air class this time he took off without a hitch [Music] it turned out it was a soft wiglet someone had loaded the wrong information I think it's important to remember that these things are getting rectified you can't just start up a card and build a Lamborghini you know it takes time and experience to do that well I find it interesting that most of the people that complain about the f-35 have never flown the f-35 and I think that says a lot and general Floyd says potential enemies have nothing in the pipeline to match the f-35 nothing is clever nothing as still free the f-35 is to come up against the best Russian fighter jet the best Chinese fighter jet who would win we would and why is that they're not going to know that we're there you combine that with the fact that we train the world's greatest fighter pilots nobody can touch us so we really are the world's greatest what makes these pioneering pilots really excited it's something you can't see the aircraft brain its computer system inside the cockpit is top-secret no cameras allowed but they do let us see the cockpit simulator compared to normal cockpits where you're surrounded by screen pictures and dials the f-35 is surprisingly fast through just a couple of what look like iPads and not myself Lockheed Martin's mic oughta bled says the days of nose to tail dogfights are long gone instead the f-35 systems scan the sky and the ground for hundreds of kilometers around giving the pilot complete tactical superiority in 26 seconds that missile has been hit that aircraft Wow and yes was detected you yet right he'll know I'm here when he's gone the pilots other advantage is their personal half-million-dollar helmet with radars and cameras pilots have a 360 degree view onto their visor so they no longer see the plane just the world beyond well so if you're actually flying me at 35 and you look down and saw no plane that would be kind of scary yes your old formations in three I jet so tail 5058 for you nothing to give again times three you get it okay there yeah it's slower than you know one without a security clearance has been allowed to fly anywhere near and it's very fine until now now ready to fight the US Air Force has agreed to give me a seat in an f-16 [Music] to fly in formation mr. Darwin root 2 is the new science why the desert rumbles the afterburner kicks in [Music] and we're at 12,000 feet in 25 seconds soon an audible a fx35 ruled alongside Quadron leader Andrew Jackson but there sadly dolphins to come up to visit us [Music] here's Jacko Upper West Side I gotta jump in do not be like this - at the scene 8200 not on me can you tell me where you are your position now what makes the f-35 so superior your parents the combination of clapping survivable with our advanced 3w systems lethal with our weapons and our other sensors that enables the target and then stealth and then probably really the ability to continue to upgrade the airplane which will keep it with the advantage it enjoys today thank you we'll see you back at the base [Music] up here those angled lines of the f-35 make it look somehow surreal as if I'm in a computer game but you through and frankly mind-boggling when you think the edge 35 is costing twice as much as it cost to put man on the moon the comes the turn there's going to be a little bit of G [Music] thank you to the warning you're welcome played one run away three right wind pumps near two left played one night finally we're back down to earth after a morning I'll never forget g-forces included it was fantastic it was one bit it was awful I thought my whole face is falling off but the rest is just beautiful the boy and you still come out you still get a thrill from flying this plane yeah I think like it's it's hard not to love a job like this where you can be up at 40,000 feet down one point to mark and you know the world jurors kind of thing it's pretty exciting Jaco and belly will fly the first two Australian planes home in 2018 two air bases now being custom-built to the f-35 if the largest public works expenditure in Australia since World War two getting their planes home is going to be a big job and then also planning how we're going to start operating the aircraft in early 2019 from Wellington do you feel that by being here at this level of testing and learning about the aircraft that you have a say in the final product we are getting a voice we certainly feel like we're we've got to sit at the table there and we're able to influence then the final product that we get when we return to Australia so it's all on your shoulders if it's not good it's your fault right is that what 60 minutes are here for

Channel: 60 Minutes Australia

Views: 265,676

Rating: 4.3327103 out of 5

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Id: zmUMrAZtwbU

Length: 13min 23sec (803 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 26 2017