Aircraft
Australia Approves 58 More Lockheed Martin F-35s
F-35s will replace the RAAF’s older F/A-18A/B Hornets, which the air force plans to withdraw from service by 2022.
Australia plans to acquire 58 more F-35As, one of which is shown here before a training mission at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (Photo: U.S. Department of Defense)
Australia plans to acquire 58 more F-35As, one of which is shown here before a training mission at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. (Photo: U.S. Department of Defense)

Australia will order 58 more Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighters for $12.4 billion, the government said on April 23. Including jets the country has already ordered, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) will be able to field three squadrons of the fifth-generation fighter.