Both Oz PM and DefMin have expressed interest in finding out about F-35Bs on our LHDs with the PM directing that the next Defence White Paper consider this possibility. Still a lot to work out however the DefMin revealed that this has been an option 'since day one'. But in the bottom drawer mostly. Anyhoo here is the inevitable cartoonie from:
Cartoon from:
The Cost of Defence ASPI Defence Budget Brief
2014–2015
“...No doubt the situation will become obvious in the development of the 2015 Defence White Paper. When it does, we should expect to see two things. First, the size of the force will grow. An extra battalion or two to crew the new LHD amphibious vessels would help bring things into balance, as would a squadron of jump jet variants of the F-35 to reinstate the fleet air arm aboard the LHD. Such possibilities aren’t to be discounted. Back in 2008 Andrew Davies and I modelled the sorts of defence forces we could have if we spent around 2% of GDP in the 2020s (see the ASPI paper Strategic Choices: Defending Australia in the 21st Century) and we were surprised by just how much capability could be afforded....” (page 141)
https://www.aspi.org.au/publications...efence2014.pdf (6.4Mb)
