Page 6 - AVALON 2023 - Day 2 | DAILY NEWS

create approximately 20 immediate jobs
© Gordon Arthur
as part of a growth path to more than 500
long-term F-35 sustainment jobs in future
years.’

With four new aircraft delivered last
September, the RAAF has so far received
54 of its 72 F-35As on order.

Most Australian F-35As are based at
Williamtown with No. 3 and No. 77
Squadrons plus No. 2 Operational
Conversion Unit. In December 2021,
Canberra announced that F-35As had per-
manently deployed to the Northern Territory
for the first time. The first four fighters of
BAE SYSTEMS TO SUSTAIN No. 75 Squadron moved to RAAF Base
Tindal at that time, and the squadron was
F35S IN AUSTRALIA supposed to have a full complement of 16
F-35As there by the end of 2022.

Earlier this year, BAE Systems received a fighters stationed in the Indo-Pacific Lockheed Martin uses data analytics to
sustainment contract from Lockheed Martin region, these belonging to Australia, Japan, optimise F-35 fleet readiness, and this helps
for F-35 fighters. It will entail establishing a Singapore, South Korea and the USA. ensure that appropriate spares are held at
regional warehouse, which contains spare warehouses. Lockheed Martin added that
parts, at RAAF Base Williamtown in New Warren McDonald, Lockheed Martin this new Australian logistics hub will give
South Wales. Australia’s Chief Executive, stated: ‘The the ‘F-35 greater operational resilience as
establishment of a regional warehousing the fleet continues to expand’.
The contract is worth AUD1.6 million and distribution network for the Indo-Pacific
(USD1.1 million), and BAE Systems will sup- will increase F-35 operational resilience Over 70 Australian firms have received
port the RAAF as well as ‘F-35 operations in for Australia and regional F-35 operators, more than AUD3 billion in F-35 production
Australia and the Indo-Pacific’. Incidentally, including US forces deployed in the Indo- and sustainment contracts to date, and this
by 2035 there will be more than 300 F-35 Pacific ... The regional warehouse will is forecast to increase several-fold.

AUSTRALIA networks, financial systems, scientific
enterprises, weather forecasting and disas-
ter response – it will undoubtedly become
ESTABLISHES a domain which takes on greater military
significance in the 21st century.’
DEFENCE Indeed, space is becoming increasingly

SPACE contested and congested. More than 7,500
satellites are currently in orbit, not helped
by space debris from anti-satellite weapon
COMMAND tests conducted by the likes of China, India
and Russia.
Australia’s Defence Space Command for- The Defence Space Command’s role is
mally commenced operations on 22 March to support space domain awareness,
2022, even though it had been stood up navigation, sovereign-controlled satellite
earlier that year on 18 January. Its per- communications and space-based Earth
sonnel stem from the three services of observation. © NASA
the Australian Defence Force, as well as
defence civilians and industry contractors. Australia will collaborate closely with the ‘conceptual delivery epochs’, with 2021-
USA, something that was apparent in 23 representing a foundation, 2024-30
Working alongside the Australian Space Australia’s 40-page Defence Space Strategy an evolution, and 2031-40 a maturing of
Agency, the brand new command is head- also released on 22 March. Dutton said, ‘Our Australia’s space capabilities.
quartered in Fairbairn, Canberra, and it partnership will also contribute to the US
is led by Air Vice-Marshal Cath Roberts. National Reconnaissance Office’s pursuit Australia plans to invest AUD17 billion
The RAAF is responsible for this ‘modest’ of a more capable, integrated and resilient (USD12.7 billion) in space capabilities by
command. space architecture to support global cover- 2036, so as to become a sovereign contrib-
age in a wide range of intelligence mission utor instead of a consumer. In the coming
Former defence minister Peter Dutton noted: requirements.’ decade, Australia will invest some AUD65
‘While space is primarily a civil domain – billion in defence’s air domain, compared to
to support navigation, communication The Defence Space Strategy outlined three AUD7 billion for the space domain.

6 | MARCH-01-2023 WWW.GBP.COM.SG/DAILY NEWS