2009 Annual Defence Report: Asia Pacific

Highlighted in Australia's long-delayed Defence White Paper, finally released in 5/2009, is the commitment to order up to 100 F-35 Lightning II (JSF) multirole fighters, which are to be acquired in two stages. The first stage will encompass 72 examples to equip three operational squadrons. The remaining 28 would form a fourth squadron to supplant the 24 interim Boeing F/A-18Fs, which are scheduled to be stood down in around 2020 after remaining in Air Force service for about a decade. Canberra implemented another recommendation of the document in late 5/2009 when it penned a MoU with the US Navy to join the development of the Boeing P-8A Multimission Maritime Aircraft (MMA).