F-35A (Lightning II) in Australian Service
The arrival of the first two Lockheed-Martin F-35A Lightning II aircraft at RAAF Williamtown on December 10, 2018, marked the start of operations for Australia's first fifth-generation fighter and paved the way for the Air Force's transition to a fifth-generation fighting force.
The F-35 is the world's most advanced multi-role stealth fighter, featuring speed, agility, stealth technology, advanced datalinks, mission systems, and sensor fusion capabilities. The Australian F-35 Program is the largest acquisition activity in the RAAF's history, initially with 72 aircraft and associated weapons, support equipment, and logistics systems on order.
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The F-35 was born out of the United States Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) program, following the cancellation of the USAF Multi Role Fighter (MRF) and US Navy Advanced Fighter Attack (A/F-X) programs. JAST became the Joint Strike Fighter (USF) program in 1995, with the goal of creating a concept demonstrator aircraft (CDA).
The demonstrator was to be an aircraft capable of replacing many multi-role and strike fighters in the US Navy and Marine Corps inventories - with short take-off and vertical landing capability.
On November 16, 1996, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, McDonnell Douglas, and Northrop Grumman's CDA submissions were evaluated. The first two firms were chosen to produce prototypes for CTOL, CV, and STOVL. The Boeing and Lockheed Martin prototypes were named the X-32 and X-35, respectively. The X-32 made its first flight on September 18, 2000, followed by Lockheed Martin's X-35 on October 24, 2000.
The X-35 won the JSF CDA competition on October 26, 2001, and Lockheed Martin was awarded a System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract. Over the next five years, the SDD phase of the JSF program saw modifications to the basic X-35 design, resulting in the final F-35 design and three variants. The F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C variants provided designs for CTOL, STOVL, and CV, respectively.
The F-35A made its first flight on December 15, 2006, in Fort Worth, Texas. Australia acquired the aircraft based on this version.
Prior to this decision to purchase the F-35A, Australia had participated in the System Development and Demonstration phase of the global F-35 program, to learn about the aircraft in anticipation of replacing their aging F/A-18A/B Classic Hornet and F-111 fleets. In 2006, Australia received approval to enter the Production, Sustainment, and Follow-on Development phase of the F-35 program, giving Australia some visibility and influence over the F-35 program, without a commitment to purchase the aircraft.
By November 2009, the Australian Department of Defense received their second pass approval to manage a staged acquisition of the aircraft, starting with fourteen F-35As and associated training.
In April 2014, the Australian Government approved an additional fifty-eight F-35As, with associated support systems and facilities to achieve Initial Operational Capability by 2020 and Final Operational Capability by 2023. This brought the total approval for Australian F-35A aircraft to 72, although the fleet would settle in at 63 aircraft.
The Australian public got their first look at the acquisition when Wing Commander Andrew Jackson and Squadron Leader David Bell, (the first Australian pilots to qualify for the F-35A), made their home debut at the Australian International Airshow in March 2017.
The following year, in 2018, the Australian Air Force accepted the next eight F-35As and began operations at the USAF's Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. These aircraft had Block 3F mission system software installed, providing increased warfighting capability and meeting the Australian Initial Operational Capability. It was expected that the RAAF would increase its fleet of F-35s from the approved 72. However, in April 2024, it was confirmed that these additional aircraft would not be purchased, with funds redirected to long-range missiles, maintaining the Super Hornet, and other priorities consistent with the National Defence Strategy.
It is important to point out that the F-35 extends beyond the aircraft platform to its sophisticated supporting systems and infrastructure. The Australian F-35A Project invests around a billion Australian dollars in essential infrastructure at RAAF base Williamtown.
The Off-Board Information Systems Center, a unique facility in Australia, plays a crucial role in the F-35 fleet's Autonomic Logistics Information System. This system provides hardware, software, and data information for maintenance, fault diagnosis, supply support, mission planning, and training management for the F-35A weapon system.
Australia has also collaborated with the UK and US to establish a laboratory for developing and testing Mission Data Files for the F-35A to be a "smart" aircraft. Developing an effective reprogramming solution is crucial for achieving the aircraft's fifth generation capabilities and meeting Australia's operational needs.
The R-double-A-F have taken delivery of 63 F-35s with the last 9 expected to start arriving by the end of 2024. These will come with a Technology Refresh-3 package which includes additional munitions capabilities, target recognition, jamming, cyber security, sensor and user interface improvements, processing and data storage enhancements. These stealth multirole fighter aircraft are currently serving in numbers 3, 77 and 75 squadrons and will remain Australia's frontline combat aircraft for many years to come.