As early as 2012 the RAAF Hornet fleet flight activities (12-13000 hours per year) were estimated to exhaust the fleets' lifetime airframe limits (6000 hours) in 2020.[1] Keeping them in the air beyond this year was going to get more and more expensive and consume maintenance resources (and pilot training) that could otherwise be directed to the Super Hornets and F-35s.
Frankly I'm kind of glad someone took them off our hands before they became even more of a liability. We've got enough on our plate dealing with the F-35's corrosion issues (most of the fleet will be kept in moist salt air at Williamtown and be plugged into big dehumidifiers when not flying) and other things like its limited range.[2]
Which, now I put it that way, makes me wonder if maybe we should have kept a few Hornets.
[1] "43. The F/A-18A/B Hornet was designed for a safe life of 6000 airframe hours. At the current fleet flying rate of 13 000 hours per year, reducing to 12 000 from 2013–14, there is capacity on that basis for the Hornet fleet to continue flying until the end of 2020." https://www.anao.gov.au/work/performance-audit/management-au...
That all makes sense, and I guess I agree on all points. Not knowing anything about the RAAF's resources (or the buyer's feelings on the deal), I would have leaned toward selling half and keeping half in a reserve capacity if it were at all feasible. If you need a reserve, you probably need it really badly, and it's not exactly unfathomable that the fancy-but-fragile F-35 might be grounded someday because of some automotive airbag recall-like "whoops" screwup by the manufacturer.
edit: it looks like you've still got two squadrons of Super Hornets until 2025, so you've got that going for you
Frankly I'm kind of glad someone took them off our hands before they became even more of a liability. We've got enough on our plate dealing with the F-35's corrosion issues (most of the fleet will be kept in moist salt air at Williamtown and be plugged into big dehumidifiers when not flying) and other things like its limited range.[2]
Which, now I put it that way, makes me wonder if maybe we should have kept a few Hornets.
[1] "43. The F/A-18A/B Hornet was designed for a safe life of 6000 airframe hours. At the current fleet flying rate of 13 000 hours per year, reducing to 12 000 from 2013–14, there is capacity on that basis for the Hornet fleet to continue flying until the end of 2020." https://www.anao.gov.au/work/performance-audit/management-au...
[2]https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/projecting-power-with-the-...