The Leading Edge of Combat Aircraft

Posted: October 14th, 2016

By Andrew Davies

Dr. Andrew Davies is the Director of the Defence & Strategy Program at ASPI. He has written extensively on ADF capability and force structuring issues, including platform options for air and maritime combat, industry issues, and decision-making in the Department of Defence. He has an ongoing interest in the future submarine and Joint Strike Fighter projects, and his work on both has made an important contribution to the public understanding of those projects here and abroad. Before joining ASPI, Andrew was a post doctoral fellow in physics at Melbourne University and the ANU. He then spent twelve years in the Department of Defence in the areas of capability analysis and intelligence.

Australia’s armed forces have fought as an ally of the United States in all if its wars since WWII. As an original partner in the Joint Strike Fighter program, Australia is keen to maintain a modern military that can operate as a coalition member in its backyard and farther abroad. The Cipher Brief spoke with Andrew Davies, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Director of Defense and Security Program to learn more about how Australia intends to utilize the F-35 for its own defense needs and as a coalition partner.

The Cipher Brief: What qualities and capabilities of the F-35 are most important for Australia’s defense needs, and what does the F-35 enable Australia to do as a coalition partner?

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