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AIR6500 will deliver four advanced air-defence radars, manufactured by Canberra-based CEA Technologies, with the first delivery expected later this year.
The announcement was made at the unveiling of the ‘National Defence Strategy’ and follows January’s decision to upgrade the Super Hornet fleet and keep it flying until at least 2030, far beyond its initial retirement date of 2027.
The deal is the latest milestone in the delivery of the Royal Australian Air Force’s fleet of MQ-4C Triton aircraft, with the partners to support the operation and maintenance of command-and-control systems aboard the multi-intelligence uncrewed aircraft fleet.
The first two aircraft to undergo the ‘Increment 3’ modification will be upgraded in Jacksonville, Florida, with the remainder of the fleet of 12 to be completed at RAAF Base Edinburgh, South Australia.
Frank Kendall said there would also be a pilot in the cockpit alongside him, but “hopefully” neither would be required to take control of the specially adapted aircraft.
The aircraft, registered A9-186, was originally reported missing in Papua New Guinea in 1943 but later discovered in 2020, with divers braving 43 metres of water to reach the aircraft.
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