Due to F-35 failures, RAAF classic F-18s will fly out to 2022

The effort to replace RAAF classic F-18s is a disaster.

Under the original AIR6000 program--dropped by the poor decision of Howard, Hill and Houston, in 2002 with no credible analysis--classic F-18s could have started replacement toward the end of the last decade.

On Friday, the Defence Minister announced a new jet engine contract for the classic F-18s that will sustain these aircraft out to the year 2022.

The reason for this can only be more F-35 delay.

Australia has already put down money on producing F-35 aircraft. Two of these high-risk mistake-jets are on the production line now.

This qualifies the F-35 for the DMO Project of Concern list.

Australia was supposed to have the F-35 around the 2010-2012 time-frame.

But that was all a lie.(PDF, U.S. JSF Program Brief to Australian Journalists, 2002)