Fed: Australia seeks US secret technology in new fighters

AAP General News (Australia)
03-15-2006
Fed: Australia seeks US secret technology in new fighters

By Max Blenkin, Defence Correspondent

CANBERRA, March 15 AAP - Australia has demanded a US guarantee that it will fully disclose
secret technology before Canberra signs up for further involvement in the Joint Strike
Fighter (JSF) project.

"Guaranteed access to necessary JSF data and technology to allow Australia to operate
and support the JSF will be required before we join the next phase of the project," Australia's
defence adviser in Washington, Rear Admiral Raydon Gates, has told the US Senate armed
services committee.

He said on-schedule delivery of the new Lockheed Martin F-35 JSF was critical because
of the planned retirement of the ageing F-111 and F/A-18 aircraft early next decade.

Australia joined the JSF project in 2002 as one of eight foreign partners. So far it
has invested $300 million in the development phase.

The first production aircraft is set to fly later this year, and Australia is now negotiating
to join the production phase, which is expected to be finalised before the end of this
year.

Under current plans, Australia will acquire about 100 JSF aircraft, which are scheduled
to enter service in the period 2012-14.

JSF is a stealth fighter with advanced radar, weapons and mission systems.

Prime contractor Lockheed Martin has repeatedly assured Australia of full access to
this technology.

In a report released today, the US General Accounting Office (GAO) said transfer of
JSF technologies to partner nations was expected to far exceed past transfers of advanced
military technology for other systems.

The most sensitive technology typically relates to stealth and computer source codes
to which Australia, as a US ally, could expect to gain reasonable access.

But transfers even to close allies can be halted by just a few powerful US congressmen
by way of the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).

Australia has been negotiating an ITAR waiver but the problem is not Australia's alone.

The United Kingdom has also vigorously voiced its concerns.

Britain's defence procurement minister Lord Peter Drayson added to that today, saying
the US decision to eliminate funding for a back-up JSF engine, built by General Electric
and Rolls-Royce, could threaten British participation in the JSF program.

Admiral Gates said there needed to be difficult legislative change in the US to overcome
the technology transfer issue.

"Legislative change is a difficult road. I thought our political system in Australia
was challenging enough. Here it is quite fascinating," he said.

"I don't think it is impossible. I think it is critical to us."

The head of the Australian Defence Force new air combat capability project, Air Commodore
John Harvey, said the JSF would meet all future threats.

He rejected claims that JSF's stealth capability had been downgraded.

"The requirements are the same and the aircraft is performing to those requirements,"

he told the ABC.

"What has happened is there was a re-categorisation of just the terminology in the
US and that led to the change of one letter in one powerpoint slide on the internet. So
there is no change to the performance or the capability."

Air Commodore Harvey said Australia had been involved in the JSF project for more than
three years.

"We have had DSTO (Defence Science and Technology Organisation) scientists involved
in analysing it. We have had Australian pilots flying simulated missions and so we are
very confident of the capability of the aircraft," he said.

AAP mb/sb/tnf/sp

KEYWORD: JSF

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