As part of a wide-ranging cost and structure review, UK Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth has announced the RAF’s fleet of 11 Nimrod MR2 maritime reconnaissance aircraft will be retired by March 2010, two years earlier than planned. The announcement comes despite the MR2’s replacement, the much delayed and substantially remanufactured and re-engined Nimrod MRA4, not
A war of words has broken out between Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, Greg Combet, and the Liberal member for Paterson, Bob Baldwin, over the potential noise impact the F-35 JSF will have on communities surrounding RAAF Base Williamtown when the aircraft enters service from 2018. Baldwin says communities in the area haven’t
BAE Systems Australia has won two major support contracts for the Australian Army’s fleet of S-70A-9 Black Hawks and the Navy’s S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopters for the remainder of both types’ service lives. The Black Hawk contract, valued at $35 million, will see BAE continue to support the Army’s fleet of 34 Black Hawks at its
The RAN has successfully test fired a Raytheon SM-2 surface-to-air missile from the FFG frigate HMAS Melbourne during a test at the off the East Australian Exercise Area off Jervis Bay on the NSW south coast. The SM-2 will provide the RAN with an enhanced medium to long range anti-air capability, and has been introduced
The Commonwealth has signed a three year contract with Boeing to support the RAAF’s 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets in service. The contract is valued at about $20 million per year and will provide 74 jobs at RAAF Amberley, most of whom will be Boeing Defence Australia employees. “Under the contract the Boeing Company will provide
The ADF has submitted its final public report on F/A-18F Super Hornet flying operations at RAAF Base Amberley to the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts for assessment. The report was compiled with community consultation in the Ipswich and surrounding areas and sets out the rules for operation of the Super Hornets
