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Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price has congratulated the Royal Australian Air Force and Ipswich-based TAE Aerospace on a major maintenance milestone for the nation’s F-35 fleet.
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The first Australian F‑35A engine fan module has undergone routine maintenance at local Queensland business TAE Aerospace, based at Bundamba in Ipswich.
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said it highlighted the growing capability of Australian defence companies: “By maintaining and repairing the F-35 engines in Australia, we can get these planes back in the air quicker, while also creating skilled jobs for many Australians.”
“And in a world first, this type of engine work was the first to ever be completed outside of the United States, representing a significant new step for TAE Aerospace and the Australian defence industry.”
This proves to be a year of milestones for the 100 per cent Australian-owned TAE Aerospace, which in May celebrated its 20th year in the aerospace industry.
Minister Price added, “TAE’s recent achievements are a testament to the importance of defence industry in contributing to our economy, and our footprint in the global F-35 Program.”
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is billed as a catalyst for the fifth-generation revolution, changing the face and capability of the Royal Australian Air Force and the wider Australian Defence Force.
For the RAAF, the F-35A's combination of full-spectrum low-observable stealth coatings and materials, advanced radar-dispersing shaping, network-centric sensor and communications suites – combined with a lethal strike capability – means the aircraft will be the ultimate force multiplying, air-combat platform.
Ten nations are currently flying F-35s, including the US, UK, Italy, Norway, Israel and Japan. The first of Australia’s F-35A aircraft are now based on home soil after a period of training and development at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, plus an epic Pacific Ocean crossing in December 2018.
More than 340 F-35s are operating today with partner nations, more than 700 pilots and 6,500 maintainers have been trained, and the F-35 fleet has surpassed more than 170,000 cumulative flight hours.
Over the coming years, Australia will purchase 72 of the advanced fifth-generation fighter aircraft as part of the $17 billion AIR 6000 Phase 2A/B program – which is aimed at replacing the ageing F/A-18A/B Classic Hornets that have been in service with the RAAF since 1985.
Stephen Kuper
Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.
