almost was

[raafif]

something I wrote in 2006 a few weeks before Howard was kicked out ....
    see my 2 profiles here -- http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,34443.0.html

             The RAAFs F-23 Boomerang II Fighter
     Year 2006 -- Southern Asia.
In an ongoing, undeclared war by the two large countries in the region, the small country of Timor has been alternately occupied by Democracy & Muslim "peace keepers".

OrangeLand, has "liberated" (re-invaded) the countries of Timor & East Timor in order to secure the newly discovered gas & oil fields for themselves. Adjoining Papua & New Guinea were obviously next because of their gold & other mineral reserves and it was thought that Australia itself would follow as we hadn't yet exhausted our only large industry -- digging up & exporting our raw materials.

The Australian President, Jay Howard, was continuing his even closer ties with the U.S. Government. In his quest to curry more favor with George W., he had changed his christian name & declared that American spelling would be adopted in all Australian Government & educational institutions -- despite this he was still an ardent Royalist & feted the new King Charles III & Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom at every opportunity (Tony Blair had been killed in a terrorist bombing at No.10 perpetrated by "home-grown" Modern Conservatives taking advantage behind the Al Quada threats and, unusually, Queen Elizabeth II was there at the time).

The ADF's new M-1 Abrams Tanks were already deployed but were proving less than serviceable due to the fact that (at the last minute) the Government had specified a de-rated engine (to save fuel due to public outcry at petrol prices) & had ordered more tanks instead of a spare-parts stock -- thus continuing a long-standing faux-pas in Australian Defense Procurement policy.
OrangeLand had deployed its Sukhoi Su-30's to cover their invasion and the RAAF's ageing F-18 Hornets were at a disadvantage due to lower manoeuvrability & a lack of spare parts supply from the U.S.A.
The Royal Australian Air Force pleaded for more, & better fighters (& quick) to counter this first threat to the Australian mainland since World War Two.

As a reward for turning large areas of the Outback into nuclear-waste dumps, the U.S. Government offered to put the abandoned prototype YF-23 Tactical Fighter into "fast production" status for Australia. It would be a quick-fix with basic systems and "off-the-shelf" engines with fixed exhaust-area panels, rather than the unnecessary "super-cruise" ones with divergent (swivelling) exhaust-nozzles. The "stealthy" design of the F-23 airframe would be a boon against the otherwise superior imported & indigenous technology of the OrangeLanders, who had designed their own armored vehicles – something Australia had proven unable to do due to the massive "brain-drain" that started in the 1970's and still continues.

-- Nuclear Power Debate sidelined due to unspecified world-wide Terrorist Plots --
The Howard Government had tried to keep the large holes dug in the Outback a secret under the totally unwarranted over-reaction of claimed Terrorist plots, fed by American Homeland worries (which were justified). The Government had convinced the public that the holes were simply new coal-mines to fuel our power stations as it didn't believe in "Touchy, Feely" renewable solar or wind power or ethanol fuels, but they had secretly built four Nuclear reactors with 100% American CIA "black" funding to supplement the nation's dwindling coal-fired electricity supply.
Part of the deal was the new U.S. State of Pine Gap, Central Australia, where our own "Jindabine" over-the-horizon radar (designed by Telstra and operated solely by the U.S. surveillance station there) could track the F-117 Stealth Fighter at great distance. The Jindabine's long strand-type elements for the array had been cleverly disguised as a Dingo Fence.

For patriotic reasons, the new fighter was named "Boomerang II" and, as usual, the first airframe to be delivered was painted in special colors for its public debut – basically overall Haze-Blue (matching the perceived color of the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney), with Royal Blue & Insignia Red markings.

It was envisaged that our aircraft would be mainly operating (defending) over the Timor Sea area rather than over the jungle so, in December 2006, a new low-viz camouflage scheme had been promulgated specifying FS 35237 Blue Gray on all undersurfaces & outer edges of topsides and both sides of fins with FS35164 Intermediate-Blue central color on upper surfaces and both sides of fins. RAAF roundels would be positioned on the engine-intake sides with narrow flashes on outer fin sides only -- a single RAAF roundel on the aircraft spine would replace the previous two at the wingtips. Marking colors would be Haze-Blue with Light Gray centers & the Kangaroo's would be Camouflage Pink. Fin-flashes would be applied as thin stripes of the same colors.
But early Boomerang II aircraft would enter service in a scheme similar to that applied to the F-18 Hornets to use up old paint stocks.

Melbourne's Collingwood footy team, known as "the Magpies", had just won the Final, so 75 Sqdn. RAAF "the Magpies" were the first squadron to be equipped with the new fighter. "75" was commanded by the red-headed Pete "Bluey" Truscott, great-grandson of the famous Australian W.W.2 ace.

[MilitaryAircraft101]

Ooh! Sounds good! (Red head Bluey? Should be "Purpley"  ) Great work.

[jagdverband_44]

Nothing at all wrong with that nickname. Bluey is a common moniker for redheads in Australia. We hang deceptive nicknames on people all the time - think Skinny Pete in the remake of The Italian Job. A tall person might be tagged Shorty, and a blond haired guy might get hung with "Red".