Australia: Section 2-Market Overview

摘要

Fighters. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fighter ensemble is composed of Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets and F-35A Joint Strike Fighters. The F-35 fleet replaces the F/A-18A/B "classic" Hornet, which first entered RAAF service in 1985. This fleet is down to its last remaining operational squadron (No. 75 Squadron at RAAF Base Tindal in the Northern Territory), with these units to be retired in December 2021. Conversion to the F-35 for the squadron will then kick off in early 2022. The F/A-18A/Bs were progressively upgraded under the two-phase Hornet Upgrade (HUG) program, with the first upgrade beginning in 2000 and including the modernization of identification friend or foe (IFF) systems, the installation of anti-jamming radios, the replacement of inertial navigation systems with GPS receivers, and enhancement of the mission suites. Work on HUG Phase 2 began in 2002 and was concluded in 2009. It included the installation and integration of the ALR-67(Ⅴ)3 radar warning receiver (RWR), ALQ-165 Airborne Self-Protection Jammers (ASPJs), and Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems (JHMCS), which are compatible with the MBDA Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM). The intensive maintenance of the RAAF's F/A-18A/Bs ensures the remaining aircraft are still combat serviceable through 2021.