By Joe Kelly
DEFENCE Minister Stephen Smith has warned the US debt crisis could influence Australian defence purchases, as he cast doubt over the future of the planned $16 billion investment in 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.
Development of the US-built F-35 Joint Strike Fighter - intended to secure Australia's air defence for the rest of the century - has been subject to cost blow-outs and delays.
Now Mr Smith is signalling that time is running out before other options are considered.
One possibility canvassed by Mr Smith is the purchase of further Super Hornets after the Howard government bought 24 of the aircraft back in 2007 for $6 billion to plug a capability gap caused by the retirement of the iconic F-111 bombers.
“That's an obvious option,” he told ABC radio from Washington.
“But we need to take this step by step. It's early days. I don't want people to run or leap to a conclusion that is the path we will go down.”
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