Australia wants to make F-35A Lightning II fighter jets invisible to enemy radar and will build a plant costing more than $65 million to apply a secret stealth coating

Australia intends to make the fifth-generation F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters virtually invisible to enemy radars. For this purpose, the country's government is ready for multi-million dollar investments.

Here's What We Know

Australian authorities have agreed to spend more than AU$100 million ($65 million) to build an aircraft coating plant. The facility will come up at the Royal Australian Air Force base in Williamtown, New South Wales.

In a statement, the Australian government said the plant will be used to apply some kind of special paint that will make the F-35A Lightning II invisible to enemy radar stations. The work is vital to the country's military capability.

The secret paint has been developed in the US and will be used for the first time in Australia. The chemical composition of the radio-absorbing coating is being kept top secret.

Design work for the new plant will be completed by the end of this year and construction will begin in the middle of next year. The project involves BAE Systems Australia, which is involved in the maintenance and repair of the Australian F-35A.

Notably, the new plant will support and maintain other fifth-generation fighters that operate in the Indo-Pacific region. As for the Royal Australian Air Force, it has 63 F-35A aircraft in service, but the fleet will increase to 72 in the future.

Source: Australian Ministry of Defence