The Australian government has reaffirmed its plan to purchase up to 100 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters under its long term defence strategy.Australia intends to have the advanced technology fighter in service by 2020.
Lead F-35 contractor Lockheed Martin said it was honoured by Canberra's trust and confidence.The first two of its stealthy warplanes are in production and slated for delivery in mid-2014.Lockheed will work closely with the government to support the purchase of their remaining 100 F-35 aircraft.
In contrast,Italy,Canada and Denmark are reducing their F-35 purchases.Costly delays and reworking have marred the transformative Joint Strike Fighter program to this point.More than 3,000 of the aircraft are to be produced over the life of the program,the bulk of them for the US armed forces.
Australia also said it would buy 12 Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force.They had initially planned to modify 12 of their 24 F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters with EA-18G technology;but have now decided to purchase the new Growlers instead,fearing any future delays in the F-35 program.They will keep their two dozen Super Hornets as they are.
Australia is the only other country besides the US to acquire the EA-18G,which are fully in production and qualified for immediate service.The Growlers are used to detect,identify,locate and suppress hostile emitters;the F-35s will project power over long distances from any point on the globe,integrating advanced payloads today and beyond,Lockheed says.
Australia's advanced aircraft purchases reflect growing unease in Asia over China's ongoing military buildup.
Lockheed Martin(LMT),Boeing(BA)
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