Robert Dougherty

The Minister for Defence confirmed the federal government has been tracking riots in the French territory as pro-independence activists fight against more than 1,000 French police and paramilitary personnel deployed under a major security operation to the Pacific archipelago east of Australia.

Training with all parachutes, except the Military Javelin Parachute System – the parachute type used during the March training incident – has resumed as of 7 May.

The spat follows details released by Defence that a Chinese J-10 fighter jet dropped flares just 300 metres in front of a RAN Seahawk on Saturday, forcing the crew to rapidly take evasive action.

The new squadron provides mission data programming and software development for the Australian and United Kingdom F-35 aircraft types, as a component of the Australia, Canada and United Kingdom Reprogramming Laboratory.

As part of the annual RSAF training, a Singaporean C-130H Hercules transport aircraft and approximately 140 Singaporean personnel are undertaking flying activity including airdrop and parachute operations over western Sydney, the Blue Mountains, and regional NSW.

Air warfare instructors from the Royal Australian Air Force faced three weeks of air defence scenarios across more than 200,000 square kilometres of airspace between Brisbane in Queensland and Jervis Bay on the South Coast of NSW.