TSAMTO, November 8. The command of the Australian Air Force announced the receipt on November 5 of the next batch of four multi-purpose F-35A "Lightning-2" fighters of Lockheed Martin Corporation.
As reported in a press release published on Twitter, the planes landed at the Williamstown Air Base. Thus, at the moment 41 ordered F-35A have been received from the USA.
As previously reported by TSAMTO, the Australian government decided to approve the purchase of the first batch of 14 F-35 Lightning-2 fighters in November 2009. They will replace the F/A-18A/B Hornet aircraft, which are scheduled to be decommissioned by 2022.
Aircraft assembly for the Australian Air Force began in 2011. The first pair (AU-1 and AU-2) was transferred at the end of 2014 and was used for training Australian pilots, technical personnel and tests at the USAF Air Base "Luke" (Arizona). It was these aircraft that were the first to arrive in Australia for the re-equipment of the 3rd Air Squadron of the country's Air Force on December 10, 2018. The second pair of F-35A "Lightning-2" arrived in Australia on April 8, 2019.
The full readiness of the Australian Air Force F-35A fleet for combat use is scheduled for 2023. In total, the Australian Air Force can receive up to 100 F-35A fighters. At the moment, the military and political leadership of Australia has approved the purchase of 72 aircraft.
Purchase of 72 new fighters within the framework of the AIR-6000 Phase 2A/2B project stages, the cost of which is estimated at 17 billion. austr. dollars, will form three combat and one training squadron. They will be stationed at Williamstown and Tyndall Air Bases. Another batch of 28 aircraft to equip the fourth combat squadron can be purchased later at the AIR-6000 Phase 2C stage to replace the F/A-18F "Super Hornet".
