Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / John Wineera: Retired Lieutenant Colonel and defence expert on the new planes, helicopters, defence spend

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John Wineera: Retired Lieutenant Colonel and defence expert on the new planes, helicopters, defence spend · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Govenment's gone shopping for some new planes and choppers two
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: point seven billion dollars. It'll set us back. Our old
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: seven five seven is going to be replaced by two
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: new Airbus planes A three twenty one's, and we're buying
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: five new Seahawk helicopters equipped with anti submarine torpedo systems
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: with Judith Collins loves to talk about Joshua Needa is
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: a retired lieutenant colonel and security expert with me this morning.
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning Ryan.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: What the choppers, the Seahawk helicopters, what exactly do we
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: use some for? Will we use them for?
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: Well, they will be part of the capability initially for
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: the frigates we have, and I guess the next platform
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: that the Defense Force buis. But essentially they are a
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: submarine hunting aircraft, but they also can do a number
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: of other tasks, and I think in the Pacific most
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: of the use for our aircraft and the Pacific search
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: and rescue and also humanitarian assistance, disaster relief. But essentially
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: they are a military combat.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: Aircraft and so they go hunt submarine and then they
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: can fire at them too.
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: Yes, well, I mean that's part of the armed Forces
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: REMIT is actually having offensive and defensive capabilities.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: So yes, do the submarines know where they are and
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: can they fire at them?
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: That's probably a question for sub mariners, but I mean
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: it is a cat and mouse game. I mean, you've
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: got aircraft, they're above the water. They do have a
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: number of sonar capabilities which they can dip into the water.
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: Of course, most submarines would rather remain stealthy and not
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: be found.
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: A lot of people yesterday were asking why aren't we
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: buying drones that humanitarian aspect of it, you know, the
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: fact that we need to accommodate for that as well.
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: Would that be a reason why.
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: Well, if we look at the Defense Capability Plan that
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: is yet to come, there are drones which are assigned
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: for the Air Force in the coming iteration of the
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: Defense Capability Plan. What I would hope to see though,
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: is that aircraft these days are starting to be teams,
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: which means they fly alongside or with other unmanned systems.
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: So that should be something that we see in the future.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: How important is it that we are now better aligned
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: with the aussi's and other forces, But.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: This is critical. Australia is our only ally, and I
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: have to say this is you. This amount of money
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: represents nearly one quarter of the twelve billion dollars that
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: was announced earlier this year. So this is a significant
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: amount of money for a significant investment important to be
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: interoperable with Australia. They have these particular helicopters, as do
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: the US and other allies. But I think that buying
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: our own equipment for our own purposes has to be
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: the central point here. If it aligns with other countries,
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: that's great.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: What about the US foreign military sales program rather than
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: going to a wider attender we're jumping on that list?
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: Is that significant.
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: Those who put together I think the user requirements would
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: have taken that into consideration. Because it is the US
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: system where we have to go through a foreign military
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: sales process. It's the same for everyone the Australias go
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: through this in any other country. So there will be
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: a time period before we actually acquire them. What will
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: be important is the systems that we have here. We
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: have now the old sea sprites, that they are maintained
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: and can still be operated.
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: Josh, appreciate your time this morning. Thanks for coming on
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: the show. That's josh Unedda. He's a retired lieutenant colonel
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: and security expert.
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: For more from earlier edition with Ryan Bridge, Listen live
• 3:35
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• 3:38
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