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The Royal Australian Air Force will get a fleet of F/A19 Super Hornet strike jets, following the Labor Government's decision to reluctantly stick with what it regards as a flawed but irreversible move by former Prime Minister John Howard's ousted conservative administration.
Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said the A$6.6 billion ($7.5 billion) contract signed by his predecessor Brendan Nelson, now Opposition Leader, would be honoured after a review made as part of a broader inquiry into the air force's long term combat requirements.
The second phase of the review will canvass a range of other options facing the RAAF, including plans to re-equip the RAAF with up to 100 American-made joint strike fighters (JSF).
Labor has made it clear it wants the more advanced F22 fighter instead, although American law at present forbids the sale of the strike jet to any other country, including allies such as Britain and Japan.
Nelson ordered 24 Super Hornets to fill an expected gap between the early retirement of the air force's ageing F-III strategic bombers and the now-delayed arrival of the JSF.
Fitzgibbon said the previous government's decision to leave Australia's air defences in the hands of the JSF project was a flawed leap of faith in scheduling terms and, combined with the decision to retire the F-III early, had allowed an air combat capability gap to emerge.
Despite criticisms that the Super Hornets would be less capable than other fighters in the region, Fitzgibbon said no other aircraft could be produced to meet the 2010 deadline imposed by the Howard Government. Cancelling the contract would hit Australia with significant financial penalties and create tensions between Canberra and the aircraft's manufacturer.
Fitzgibbon said streamlining the costs of supporting the Super Hornet could save up to A$300 million, and the order could be modified to include other capabilities, such as specialist electronic warfare variants.
