Labour has cancelled orders for 28 new F-35 stealth fighters, but the coalition says it will commit $3 billion to purchase if elected.
Australia could win 28 new F-35 stealth fighters as early as 2029 if it proceeds with its pledge to win the upcoming federal election and commit $3 billion to purchase, according to Lockheed Martin executive.
The plane was originally set to become the country’s fourth F-35 squadron, but cancelled the order when the government announced its defense strategy last April.
The cancellation continued to fly until at least 2030, despite additional $50.3 billion in funding over the next decade.
Australia currently operates three squadrons of F-35A, equivalent to 72 aircraft. The final jet was delivered in December 2024.
However, according to JR McDonald, Vice President of Business Development for the F-35 Program, if the liberal coalition wins and wins in order, the plane maker could potentially deliver the team in just four years. The program produces 156 jets each year.
Speaking to reporters at the Avalon Air Show in Victoria, McDonald admitted that going from order to deliver in such a short time frame is a “amazing feat,” but “maybe it can be achieved based on where you buy the long lead parts for Lot 21.”
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“At this point, if someone says, ‘We’re going to inject an Australian plane into the first lot,’ we’ll deliver it in 2029 to Lot 21 plane,” he said.
On the airshow panel, Air Deputy Marshall Nick Hogan, head of Australian Air Force (RAAF) capabilities, said more F-35s would be welcome.
And despite President Donald Trump’s meditation that weapons sold to allies could be equipped with remotely disabled people from Washington, D.C., Hogan says the RAAF will have no concerns about the new aircraft.
“We’re very comfortable understanding all aspects of the F-35,” Hogan said. “There’s no kill switch.”
Rethinking Canada and Europe
Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said Ottawa is considering possible alternatives for some of the $14 billion purchases of the 88 F-35AS, with French President Emmanuel Macron having ended its defense purchases from the US and instead appealing to European leaders to buy from EU manufacturers.
However, in a statement issued shortly before the airshow began on March 18, the risks were highlighted by the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), which states that the program “ensures that all F-35 operators have the necessary capabilities to ensure the capabilities they need to maintain and operate the aircraft effectively.”
Hogan pointed out that the F-35 uses a global sustaining network rather than completely dependent on the US.
“There are many countries that are contributing to maintaining the platform,” he told the Avalon Panel. “I’m not worried at all about maintaining the F-35 in the long term. It’s not a problem.”
