Australia buys into U.S. fighter program

The first JSF fighters are expected to enter service in 2008

CANBERRA, Australia (CNN) -- Australia says it plans to spend up to $170 million joining a $200 billion United States-led program to develop what is billed as the world's most sophisticated combat aircraft.

Known as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the program to develop the aircraft is one of the biggest defense projects in history.

Australia hopes to eventually buy some of the supersonic fighter jets to replace its own ageing fleet of F/A 18 and F-111 strike aircraft.

Australian Defence Minister Robert Hill said the decision to commit over 10 years as a "level-three" partner would put Australia "at the forefront of developing the world's most advanced and biggest combat aircraft program over the next 30 years".

"There are real benefits to getting in on the ground floor of the program," Hill said.

RESOURCES U.S. Dept. of Defense: Joint Strike Fighter program    JSF PARTNERS • United States   • Britain   • Canada   • Denmark   • The Netherlands   • Norway   • Italy   • Australia

"Through the JSF program, defense will have access to levels of capability and technology in the aircraft that will be a generation ahead of other contemporary aircraft," he said.

A decision on whether to buy the F-35s -- which are estimated to eventually cost about $40 million each -- will be made in 2006, with the first likely delivery scheduled for 2012.

Australia will need about 100 new aircraft to replace its existing fighter fleet.

Neighboring New Zealand recently decided to mothball its Skyhawk fighter aircraft -- some of which operated jointly with the Royal Australian Air Force -- and has no plans to re-establish an air strike capability.

Multi-nation fighter

The U.S. is planning to build up to 4,500 of the aircraft, which will form the core of the air strike capabilities of its air force until the middle of the century.

The radar-evading F-35 fighter, made by U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp., could become one of the most-widely owned combat aircraft by the middle of the century.

Australia views the new aircraft as a replacement for its ageing fleet

So far seven nations have joined the project, with Turkey planning to join next month and Singapore and Israel both in discussions with the U.S. for a stake in the project.

Country's joining the project will be given priority in purchases of the aircraft and will be able to compete for work on the aircraft's construction.

The Australian Defense Force will now start negotiating the terms of Australia's involvement in this preliminary phase of the project, Hill said.

But it has not yet committed to buying any of the fighters, the first of which might be completed by 2008.

Australia's Air Force chief Air Marshall Angus Houston told a media conference in Canberra Thursday that if any of the fighters were bought, they would be used to defend the sea approaches to the north of Australia.

"This (plane) will give us the ability to dominate that battle space," he said.

"We're talking about the battlefield of the future," Houston told reporters. "This is an aircraft being

designed specifically for that environment, not today's conditions."