Opinion: The case for an AUKUS strike loyal wingman

The recent success of American B-2 stealth bomber strikes against Iranian military infrastructure has reaffirmed the value of long-range, low-observable strike platforms in modern warfare.

The proliferation of advanced air defence systems and precision long-range weapons by peer competitors – particularly those being developed and fielded at rapid pace by China – continues to erode the technological and quantitative edge held by the aggregated forces of Australia, the US, Japan and other partners in the region, making the case for a next-generation, trilaterally developed AUKUS unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) an often overlooked avenue for greater allied mass.

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