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CANBERRA - Australia will spend A$6 billion ($6.86 billion) on a fleet of beefed-up versions of its F/A-18 Hornet jet fighters to plug a looming gap in its air power caused by delays in the development of the controversial new American F35 joint strike fighter.
The stop-gap is needed because the RAAF's aging F111 bombers are becoming increasingly expensive and difficult to maintain, threatening to leave Australia without a force of long-range strike aircraft as deliveries of their replacement are pushed further into the future.
They will be scrapped and replaced by 24 F/A18E Super Hornets.
The new aircraft, armed with cruise missiles and other advanced weaponry, will join a massive Air Force shopping list that includes airborne early warning and control aircraft, new air-to-air refuellers and giant C-17 Globemaster transports.
Both the Super Hornets and the existing fleet of 70 less capable Hornets - now two decades old - will be gradually phased out after the 100 joint strike fighters (JSF) arrive from 2013.
Air Force spending is being mirrored by new air warfare destroyers, amphibious assault ships and frigates for the Navy, and new tanks, artillery, and new infantry battalions for the Army as Canberra watches with concern the growth of other sophisticated militaries in the region.
A new study by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute warns that, led by China and India - both positioning themselves as future great powers - countries in an arc extending from Pakistan through Southeast Asia to Japan are making "great strides" in developing their abilities to both defend themselves and project power.
"This proliferation of high-end capability can be seen in a number of areas, including combat aircraft, cruise missiles, surface fleets and submarines," the study said.
The US yesterday also warned of growing Chinese power, after Premier Wen Jiabao announced a 17.8 per cent boost in defence spending this week.
The Minister for Defence, Brendan Nelson, announcing the decision to buy the new Super Hornets, said Canberra would not allow any gap to develop.
"Air combat capability is vital to defend the approaches to Australia and enables us to operate air power on deployment overseas," he said.
"Our air combat forces are a key part of enhancing our land and maritime forces ...
"The JSF is the most suitable aircraft for Australia's future combat and strike needs [and] Australia remains fully committed to it. But the Government is not prepared to accept any risk to air combat and strike capability during the transition to the JSF."
The decision to scrap the F111 and buy the Super Hornets overturned previous RAAF planning, which intended to keep the 35-year-old long-range bombers flying through a continuing series of upgrades until the JSF arrived.
But Nelson said the aircraft's time had come, with Air Force chief and former F111 pilot Air Marshal Geoff Shepherd warning that the bomber should be retired at a time of Canberra's choosing.
"This ensures that the men and women who operate them are not endangered through the risks of an ageing platform," Nelson said.
They will be retired when the Super Hornets arrive in 2010.
The Super Hornet is a bigger, more powerful version of the standard F/A18, designed to maintain the US Navy's strike force. It entered service in 1999 with a minimum US Navy order of 460 aircraft.
With much greater range and endurance, the Block II version of the Super Hornet ordered by Canberra is considered to have similar capabilities to the JSF and America's even more sophisticated F22 Raptor - considered by Australia but not for sale to any foreign air force.
