Defence Minister Brendan Nelson today gave his seal of approval to Australia's new $6 billion F/A-18F Super Hornet program - after a joy flight in one of the super machines. Dr Nelson turned top gun for the day, hitching a ride in a current generation Block One Hornet owned and operated by the US navy, at the Australian International Airshow at Melbourne's Avalon airport today. Earlier this month, Australia announced it would buy 24 next generation Block Two Super Hornets under a deal worth up to $6 billion with the first aircraft due to begin service in three years' time.
Dr Nelson said today the multibillion-dollar deal would allow the retirement of the RAAF's ageing fleet of F-111 strike bombers, which entered service in 1973. "In purchasing the Super Hornet squadron, it means we retire the risk of Australia not having full air combat capability in the transition into the Joint Strike Fighter and we'll also fly these Super Hornets through the next decade," Dr Nelson said. "Australia will continually have 100 aircraft - this is an extremely capable aircraft.
"It's not just the capability of the aircraft, it's the sensors, the radar system, its ability to collect the intelligence and process it, and all of the network that supports and surrounds our air combat capability."
With a technology known as electronic attack, the new jets will have the ability to steer enemy missiles onto false targets and to feed hostile radars with erroneous information. And, unlike older aircraft fitted with mechanically steered radars, the new jets also feature an electronically steered radar, able to track targets at ranges up to three times that of conventional radars, according to the Australian Defence Force.