Dutton pledges to increase F-35 fleet from 72 to 100

Labor last year put on hold plans to buy a fourth squadron of F-35s and said it would instead redirect some of that investment towards long-range missiles.

Shadow defence minister Andrew Hastie said on Sunday: “Despite repeatedly warning that Australia is facing the most strategic circumstances since the end of the Second World War, Labor has spent three years dithering and delaying.

“We have a Prime Minister misleading the public and not across his brief, while his Defence Minister plays down national security issues.

“As an island nation in an increasingly contested Indo-Pacific region. It is essential that we are able to defend ourselves and protect our nation’s interests. Increasing our F-35 capability is an effective way we can do so.”

The F-35 was purchased to replace the RAAF’s F/A-18A/B Classic Hornets that were in service from 1985 and retired in late 2021.

Australia only received the last of its fleet of 72 F-35s late last year, when nine new aircraft touched down at RAAF Base Williamtown between November and December.

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The first pair arrived in Australia in December 2018, and the last set of deliveries were the first to receive the Technology Refresh-3 package, which includes additional munitions capabilities, target recognition and improved jamming capabilities.

The news that Australia could purchase more F-35s under the Coalition government significantly comes after China conducted live-fire military drills in the Tasman Sea last month.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said that while the country had conducted the training in compliance with international law, it had not given Australia enough warning.

“They did so with very little notice, and that was the issue that was very disconcerting for the airlines involved,” Minister Marles said last month.

“We would typically give 12 to 24 hours notice, which enables aircraft that are going to potentially be in the vicinity to make plans to fly around.

“It’s the responsibility of any navy, any military, to make sure when you then do undertake any live firing you are doing so in a manner which is safe relative to any commercial traffic, be it sea or air, which is in the vicinity.”

Labor’s decision to not purchase another squadron of F-35s, meanwhile, came alongside a pledge to keep its Super Hornets flying until at least 2030, far beyond its initial retirement date of 2027.

Defence agreed to a five-year, $600 million deal with Boeing Defence Australia to upgrade and sustain the Super Hornet fleet, which also includes sister aircraft the Growler, to keep them active for longer.

Australia has 24 Super Hornets with more powerful engines, bigger fuel capacity and the ability to carry more modern weapons than its predecessor.

The Growler is a variant of the Super Hornet but differs in several key areas. In place of the nose-mounted gun, it carries two ALQ-218 tactical jamming receivers (TJR) pods on its wingtips and up to five ALQ-99 jammers on centre-line and wing stations.