Australian Government to Review Air Combat Spending Program

Source URL: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=a5._LkBExxqQ&refer=australia
Posted at: http://www.air-attack/com/news/news_article/2926

Australia's new government will review all air combat spending programs. A spokesperson for Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said the structure of the review is being developed and will start "as soon as practicably possible".

"The government has undertaken to conduct a thorough review of the air combat capability options available," Fitzgibbon's spokesperson said in the statement. "Without superior air-combat capabilities, the Australian Defence Force's ability to control the air and sea approaches to our nation is compromised."

One of the programs that may be axed, is the purchase of 24 Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets, worth 5.8 Billion US Dollars. Many defense analysts were surprised by that decision, as the RAAF is expected to take delivery of the F-35 Lightning II by 2014-2015.

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