Australia has decided that it will purchase 58 additional F-35A fighter aircraft on top of the 14 it had already approved to buy earlier. While not a firm contract, this bring the total number of F-35 aircraft it has committed to buy to 72.
While this number is still less than the 100 Australia had originally planned to buy when it became one of the eight partner countries in the F-35 program, the move is welcome news for the F-35 program as there had a slight possibility that the number would have been even less.
The F-18E/F was suggested by some as a viable candidate to replace some of the F-35 aircraft. This would have reduced the number of F-35 to be build and that would in turn raise the cost of the F-35, which is already troubled by escalating costs and other technical problems during development.
Barring future costs increases, the aircraft are expected to cost around $11.5 billion and this makes it the largest commitment to the F-35 program, outside of the United States. The first aircraft are scheduled to be delivered in 2018 and should enter operational service in 2020.
