Australia is preparing to spend between AUD$12 and 15 billion over the next 10 years replacing its current fleet of 21 F-111C strike aircraft and 71 F/A-18A/B Hornets with up to 100 F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters under Project Air 6000.

The F-111s will be retired in about 2010 and the Hornets much later in the decade, once the F-35A is in service. To prevent a so-called ‘capability gap’ emerging between the retirement of the F-111s and the arrival of the F-35A the RAAF currently plans to acquire 24 F/A-18F upper Hornet Block II fighters as a ‘bridging capability’ at a whole of capability cost of about AUD$6 billion; these will enter service in 2010 and will be
withdrawn (on current plans) in 2020.

The RAAF also plans to spend over AUD$5 billion replacing its sole remaining Boeing 707 tanker with five new Air A330-200 Multi-Role Tanker Transports (MRTT), also designated the KC-30B; the RAAF will also acquire six Boeing 737 Wedgetail Airborne early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft. The KC-30Bs and Wedgetails will start entering service in 2009.

However, in late-2007 the recently appointed defence minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, announced a review of Australia’s Air Power capability Options would be help in early- 2008 as a precursor to a new Defence White Paper which will be published in late-2008 or early-2009.

This page contains articles, papers and commentary on Australia’s New Air Combat Capability and links to the work of others.

(Super Hornet pic: Sabrina Ferguson)