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Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Australia: Missile purchase to upset region


AGM-158 JASSM
AUSTRALIA'S F/A-18 fighters will be armed with the most lethal long-range cruise missiles in the region, a move likely to upset our Asian neighbours.

In a controversial decision, the federal Government announced yesterday that it had chosen to buy the most deadly of the three cruise missile types it was examining to help offset the looming retirement of the F-111 strike bombers.

The decision to choose the longer-range Joint Air-To-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) will be seen by Indonesia as provocative, given that Jakarta has previously warned that such missiles could trigger a regional arms race.

The Lockheed Martin JASSM was by far the most deadly of the three missiles being considered by Australia.

The 909kg missiles, which cost about $544,000 each, are described by the US Air Force as having a "kick-the-door-down capability".

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