Australia to spend $681.5m to buy AIM-9X Sidewinder and AIM-120D AMRAAM for F-35 and F/A-18 fighters

We wrote that the Australian Defence Force will order LRASM, JSM and JASSM-ER anti-ship missiles. But that's not all.

Here's What We Know

The Royal Australian Air Force's fifth-generation F-35A Lightning II fighters will receive AIM-9X Sidewinder and AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) air-to-air missiles. The manufacturer is Raytheon.

Australia will pay AU$135m ($92m) for the AIM-9X Sidewinder and AIM-120D ARMAAM in 2023-24. The total funding over five years will be AU$1bn ($681.5m). In addition to the F-35, the carriers of these missiles will be fourth-generation F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters.

Thus, the Australian Defence Force will spend more than $1.5 billion over five years on missiles for the F-35, F/A-18 and P-8A. In 2023-24, the Australian Defence Force will spend nearly $1 billion on the F-35, F/A-18 and P-8A missiles. Australia will allocate almost $420 million to the procurement.

Source: Breaking Defense