Print

Mail

wiki links

Australia signs contracts for 24 US fighter-bombers

Australia yesterday signed the first in a series of contracts that will see its air force buy 24 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter-bombers from the US Navy, the Department of Defence said.

The department said it signed an initial contract worth A$2.9 billion (US$2.4 billion), almost half the value of the A$6 billion acquisition program.

The planes will replace the Royal Australian Air Force's ageing F-111, which are scheduled to be retired in 2010, ahead of the arrival of Lockheed F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighters from 2015.

The defense department described the F/A-18F as "a highly capable, battle proven, multi role aircraft" that the US Navy planned to retain in service until 2030.

It "will ensure our air combat capability edge is maintained through the transition to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter over the next decade," it said.

Australia, a key US military ally, plans to buy up to 100 of the F-35s from around 2015 at a cost of up to A$19 billion, making it the biggest military procurement project in the country's history.

The Joint Strike Fighter is a stealth-capable, supersonic multi-role aircraft, whose development has been funded by an international consortium that is led by the US and includes Britain, Australia and Canada.

The US$240 billion project has faced a string of delays and cost blowouts but the F-35 Lightning II made a first successful test flight last December.

The US Defense Department plans to buy 2,400 of the fighters, and international sales could account for another 2,000 to 3,500 aircraft.
This story has been viewed 1394 times.