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Certainly. But what are the guidance options? If they're no better than those available to the V-1, then why bother improving the engine?

The V-1. It was cheap as chips, moderately effective, and caused huge amounts of resources to be devoted to countering it. Programs that expanded their use and improved them might have made a useful difference - not war-winning, but significant.

That's not true. The NZDF went through some big changes in the 1990s, and there was a lot of institutional soul-searching about what should happen and how, but there was never any notion of disbanding the entire military establishment. What did happen was: the fast-jet component of the RNZAF...

Agreed, it was a huge change in perspective. I used to think of rail travel the same way I thought of airlines: you have to get to a special place, you're uncomfortable and wait around for ages, there are unforeseen delays, and then there's all the hassle of getting around at your destination...

I think it depends very much on the family, and on the pleasure trip. When I lived in Japan I frequently saw families on trains during holidays - some were going to Osaka to see the aquarium, others were heading to the family home for the Bon festival, and so on. What made it practical, I think...

I didn't really mean the payload or other technical issues, I assume the airframe could handle it. And at worst the electronics could be moved across and bodged together. What I really meant was "could the political will to do this exist or plausibly be created?"

Ooh, I like this. The Shackletons went WAY too long without replacements and the Nimrods were... well, they weren't terrible, but they didn't need to be as bad as they were (the less said about the AEW Nimrod, the better). How plausible is this POD, though?

I think we're losing our focus a little here. Could we maybe move the ancient languages discussion to a different thread?

This is actually possible, albeit somewhat remote. IOTL, the RNZAF standardised on Skyhawks about that time, mainly because they were cheap enough that they could afford a reasonable number and were more-or-less multirole. The Buccaneer is actually a fairly good fit for NZs requirements, and if...

If you want a full TO&E, I can't help - I'm too far removed from those circles these days. Off the top of my head, though, other major equipment items are: L118 105 mm light gun. This is pretty much the best light artillery piece you're going to find anywhere, which is good, because it's all NZ...

The others are possible, but it's not likely NZ would get the Chieftain or Challenger. They did get Centurions IIRC, which the turret-heads liked, but there was a significant problem - what were they supposed to do with them? Any enemy who could land enough forces in NZ that Centurions were...

I have a charming little booklet produced in 1983 by the NZ Planning Commission, entitled New Zealand After a Nuclear War. In it they discuss the ongoing effects of a nuclear war on NZ, operating on the assumption that no warheads land in NZ and Australia only takes 2-3 (Pine Gap and 1 or 2...

I'd never even heard of the ADDAX, but it looks like a fighter from 2020 (as imagined in 1980). Unfortunately, I don't think it's a starter - I can't imagine the government deciding to build their own aircraft, from scratch, for these purposes. The SCARES suffers the same problem, although it is...

I agree they could be useful, but I don't think that's the criteria. NZ defence decision-makers have always been very concerned with what allies and potential coalition partners would see as valuable, and the 1991 Gulf War really highlighted the limitations of the A-4 fleet in that regard. IIRC...

Too much of a niche platform, I think. Excellent at CAS but not so good at anything else, and if NZ is going to keep an air combat force it has to be something they can claim is multirole - easier to get past domestic politics, if nothing else.

Good point. I'd forgotten about the Jaguars, maybe because the RAF seemed to as well! But they have the right configuration and role, and I think the costs would be manageable. Yeah, the spares pool is the major issue I see too. If the purchase is from ex-RAF stocks, though, perhaps a decent...

Agreed. While I like the idea, the extra crew, engines, and swing-wings probably make Tornadoes unsustainable for the RNZAF, even if a few dozen magically appeared at Ohakea.

As @Riain says, NZ already had a very capable light attack and jet trainer aircraft in service. If that's what they wanted, there was no need to look at F-16s! As I understand it the concept of operations is also as Riain says, so let's assume that's the use-case being considered. I really...

By 1999, the RNZAF Skyhawks were getting pretty long in the tooth. They'd had two major upgrades, and as A-4s go they compared pretty well... but they were still A-4s, and if NZ was going to stay in the fast-jet game a replacement was needed. The government at the time took steps to purchase 28...

The Limbo is actually a fairly big beast, and if you want reloads for it then it gets even more awkward. Look at pictures of the Limbo installation on the Leander-class frigates - I doubt you'd be able to fit one of those instead of a 40mm Bofors.