Australian Air 6000

It looks like Australia opted for the JSF too. Italy joined the programme recently and now oz. Seems very fix to me.

“Australia needs a new high-performance aircraft to provide the basis for the maintenance of our critical air-combat edge well into the 21st century. Up to 100 new aircraft will replace our F/A-18 Hornets and F-111 strikers from 2012. Australia’s $12 billion-plus AIR 6000 project has been examining our requirements and evaluating a number of competing aircraft types. The Government has now decided that the Lockheed-Martin F-35 (JSF) is the most likely aircraft to satisfy Australia’s needs. Australia will negotiate with the United States to join the decade-long development phase of the US$200 billion Joint Strike Fighter Program, after Cabinet considered the proposal yesterday. Defence Minister Robert Hill said “the decision to commit up to US$150 million over 10 years as a Level-3 partner would put Australia at the forefront of developing the world’s most advanced and biggest combat aircraft program over the next 30 years.” (Source : Australian Defence Organisation; issued June 27, 2002)”