Time critical

Is the timing of Australia’s F-35 acquisition falling into place?

About this time 10 years ago then Defence Minister Dr Brendan Nelson first began giving serious consideration to a potential air combat capability gap between the scheduled retirement of the RAAF’s F-111s in 2010 and the planned arrival of the first F-35s in 2012.

Those deliberations would soon lead to the acquisition of 24 Super Hornets, a decision announced in March 2007.