Australia may consider an interim replacement for its General Dynamics F-111 strike fighters pending the delivery of the first Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Defence minister Robert Hill says maintenance of the Royal Australian Air Force's F-111 and Boeing F/A-18 Hornet fleets is now a high priority. He adds that if service-life targets cannot be met, then an "interim capability [will be looked at] rather than buying a brand new platform that is going to be around for 30 years".
Hill's comments follow those made by chief of RAAF Air Marshal Angus Houston, saying that management of the F-111 and F/A-18 service life is now a critical issue.
Australia plans to keep its F-111s in service until 2015-20. The F-35 will enter service from around 2012, initially replacing the F/A-18, then the F-111.
RAAF capability planners are known to have held talks late last year with the USAir Force about leasing Boeing F-15Es as a potential interim F-111 replacement. Lease options have also been proposed by BAE Systems Australia offering Eurofighter Typhoons and by Boeing offering F/A-18E/Fs.
Source: Flight International
