Australia will spend $ 2.6 billion ($ 3.5 billion) to upgrade its defensive missiles as the security situation in the Asia-Pacific region becomes a major challenge due to Chinese protests, the country’s defense minister said on Tuesday.
The plan – which will greatly expand the range of Australian warships and fighter jets – comes as Australia said it would play a role in developing hypersonic missiles with the United States and the United Kingdom as part of the AUKUS agreement the three countries signed last year. to build nuclear-powered submarines in Canberra.
“When you see what is happening in Ukraine, when you see the potential for conflict in the Indo-Pacific, this is real for us now and we need to be realistic about how we will prevent any act of violence and help keep peace in our region,” said Defense Minister Peter Dutton. about naval and aviation missiles in an interview with Sky News on Tuesday.
A press release from Dutton’s office said Canberra would speed up the acquisition of its Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) Extended Range to be used on the F / A-18 and eventually F-35A fighter jets, Naval Strike Missile frigates and its destroyers, and shipping mines to protect its ports and maritime routes.
The new missiles are expected to be operational by 2024, the Department of Defense said in a statement.
With the JASSM Extended Range – a US-designed air-launching archer with stealth features and the ability to make adjustments while flying – Australian fighter jets will be able to cover the target for a distance of 900 kilometers (560 miles), in Dutton. said the statement.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian Naval Strike Missile is a highly maneuverable naval weapon capable of hitting a target from a distance of 185 kilometers (115 miles) – more than double the current range of missiles on Australian ships, the statement said.
“Our ADF (Australian Defense Force) must be able to hold potential enemy forces and infrastructure at a great distance,” Dutton said.
Both missiles are used by U.S. troops, and Dutton said their alliance with Australian forces would help Canberra contribute to co-operation in the Pacific.
China is scared
The Australian defense minister said the increase in Chinese military operations in the Indo-Pacific was a boost after Canberra’s advanced missile program.
“We are very concerned” about Chinese troops in the islands of the South China Sea and the rise of Chinese military forces near Japanese waters in the East China Sea, Dutton told Sky News.
“We do not want to see any violence from China, we do not want to see any violence against Taiwan,” he said, referring to the democratic island China says it is its territory and vows to re-rule it.
Dutton last month criticized China’s draft security agreement with the Solomon Islands, northeast of Australia on the Coral Sea, as an opportunity for Beijing to expand its military presence in the region. The Solomon Islands has rejected an agreement that could lead to a Chinese military base there.
China’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said Canberra and its partners in London and Washington were the ones who had cleared the region of tensions.
“The tripartite security partnership between the United States and Australia is an old strategy of the Anglo-Saxon movement, which can end the attitude of the Cold War and bloc politics, which eliminates military clashes and knife-throwing,” said spokesman Wang Wenbin.
Hypersonic Missiles
Wang was responding directly to an Australian announcement on Tuesday that it would help develop hypersonic missiles and submarine drones in partnership with the US and UK.
Wang said Australia and its allies are strengthening the arms race in the region, adding that “Asia-Pacific countries must be vigilant.”
Hypersonic missiles are weapons that can fly five times faster than the speed of sound. Although almost all missiles reach that speed or higher, very new and developing hypersonics are manageable and able to evade missile defense systems.
China, Russia, North Korea and the United States have said they have explored this new type of hypersonic missiles.
The AUKUS statement did not provide any timeline or specific details about the development of the missiles.
But for underwater drones, he said the tests would come soon.
“Our nations are cooperating in private submarine vehicles, which will be a major force to replicate our naval forces. Preliminary tests and testing of this capability are planned for 2023,” said a joint statement from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, UK Prime Minister Boris. Johnson and US President Joe Biden.
In a statement, AUKUS leaders pointed to the current war in Ukraine as emphasizing the importance of their cooperation.
“Leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, and generally to an international system that respects human rights, the rule of law, and the peaceful resolution of disputes without coercion – the most important commitment.
In addition to hypersonics and undersea drones, AUKUS leaders have noted progress in the Australian Navy’s program to equip nuclear submarines, including technology transfer to Canberra, development personnel to build subsidies in Australia, and establish their base.
There is no time limit for the delivery of submarines in the end, the statement said the plan was to provide Australia with “the most up-to-date date.”