Thread: Defence to get new jets, patrol boats

Australia will buy an additional 12 Super Hornet combat aircraft and replace the Navy's hard-working patrol boat fleet.

The 2013 Defence White Paper, released on Friday, also says the federal government remains committed to the advanced Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter due to enter service around 2020.


The Hornets are the dedicated Growler electronic warfare version, we paid extra for 12 to be fitted for but not with this capability and now they have decided to build new ones, seems a bit of a waste of money.

Makes you wonder if we are committed to the F35 Program, Denmark have decided to store there test aircraft, and consider there role in the project, I think other s may follow.


The government will also bring forward the replacement of the Navy's Armidale class patrol boats, which are used to intercept asylum seeker boats arriving in Australian waters.

As well, the Navy's supply ships HMAS Sirius and HMAS Success will be replaced as soon as possible.

I thought Sirius was a new ships?

The white paper makes no commitment to acquiring advanced Hobart-class air warfare destroyers.

Neither does it make a firm decision on long-running proposals to acquire long-range surveillance drones to watch over Australia's northwest.

But Australia still plans to replace the RAAF's ageing AP-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft with Boeing P-8A aircraft and unmanned aircraft, with a final decision due later this decade.

I know we don't do political comments here, but I take announcements like this with a grain of salt, particularly when there is no information about the funding of the acquisitions and its from a bunch who have removed $5.5billion from the Defence budget over the forward estimates and its now in the run up to an unwinable election.