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Canberra sets eyes on F-22 fighter

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said yesterday he would look into F-22 fighters for Australia but made no promises to lobby the US Congress to lift a ban on foreign sales of the most advanced US fighter.

Gates said he would pursue it when he returns to Washington next week "given the importance that our Australian friends attach to it," but he said he did not know if it was realistic to expect action to lift the export restrictions.

"Because we have not had the ability to sell the F-22, to be honest I haven't delved into all the reasons for that -- what the complications would be, the questions about whether a new design would be required for export," he told reporters.

"I just need to go back and get better educated on this and in concert with the secretary of state decide if this is a matter that we should pursue with the Congress," he said.

Australian Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said at a news conference with Gates on Saturday that Australia wanted the opportunity to consider the F-22 as part of a review of the country's air capabilities.

Gates said the US had no objection in principle, but could not sell the fighter until the law was changed.

"I would have to say, quite honestly, I am not optimistic about that prospect. But we will work on it," he told Sky News in an interview broadcast yesterday.

Japan has also been pressing Washington to release the F-22 for export.

The stealth fighter can cruise at supersonic speeds, has radars capable of detecting cruise missiles and wideband data links for networked operations.

But Beijing is likely to perceive the fighter's introduction in the region as directed against it.

Fitzgibbon said Australia wanted to maintain air superiority over its northern neighbors, although he refused to say if he was referring to China.

"I don't think it's appropriate for me to talk about a threat but I would make one simple point, there is no question that the key to Australia's defenses is maintaining the air superiority we enjoy to our north," he said.

"On that basis we have to make absolutely sure we make the correct decisions as we plan for both the near and long-term future," he said.

The F-22 is only one of a range of issues raised in annual US-Australian security talks hosted by the new Labor government.

They discussed Australia's plans to draw down combat troops from Iraq by the middle of this year and a change in approach in Afghanistan from strictly combat operations to police training and civil affairs work.

They also shared perspectives on regional issues, including China and southeast Asia, officials said.

Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith, speaking on TV yesterday, said among the issues discussed was whether Canberra would join a US missile defense system.

In opposition, Labor had opposed the system on cost and the available technology but Smith said the technology had changed and the government was now considering joining the system.

"It's not a matter of being coy ... [but] we don't want to make any decisions which would deprive us of technology which might, in the end, be in our national security interests and be able to protect our forces in the field," he said.
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