Lockheed Martin’s famed Skunk Works division, working alongside industry partners and the United States Air Force, has successfully demonstrated the ability for a pilot of a fifth-generation fighter jet to control an unmanned aircraft while in flight.
Australia’s P-8A fleet will receive upgraded antennas, sensors, and software designed to enhance processing power and communications, which will significantly boost the aircraft’s ability to detect, track, and engage advanced submarines.
The exercise, involving both air and ground crews, will be conducted across the greater Sydney, Wollongong and Goulburn regions. Soldiers and aviators will face complex, high-end simulated threat scenarios designed to test their readiness and co-ordination in realistic conditions.
The announcement comes as the US Navy prepares to keep the Super Hornet in frontline service well into the 2040s, despite earlier plans to curtail production, and has direct implications for Australia.
The $700 million infrastructure investments will see a suite of infrastructure upgrades and facilities works at RAAF Base Townsville, including supporting infrastructure for the relocation of 16th Aviation Brigade Headquarters from Brisbane, along with the relocation of the 1st Aviation Regiment from Darwin.
The bilateral exercise, which pairs the RAAF’s fifth-generation F-35A fighters with the Indonesian Air Force’s (TNI-AU) F-16 Fighting Falcons, officially opened on 21 August with a patch-exchange ceremony between pilots and a welcoming address by Roesmin Nurjadin Air Base Commander, Air First Marshal (Marsma) Abdul Haris.
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