Buying F-35s Biggest Mistake of Australia
By Tanmay Kadam
December 6, 2022
Australia’s fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighter jets have again come under the scanner due to concerns related to their cost, capabilities, and viability for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
A senior Australian journalist, Brian Toohey, who has been writing extensively for Australia’s national security policy since 1973, has criticized the ‘Defense Strategy Review’ of the Australian government that has recommended buying the fourth squadron of F-35 fighter jets.
Australia has committed to buying 72 F-35A fighter jets for three operational squadrons, and adding a fourth squadron will bring the total number of aircraft to 96.
However, Toohey points out the long history of costly problems of the F-35s already acquired while arguing that Australia “should be asking for a refund” and that “the biggest mistake was to buy the plane in the first place.”