Now or never for Australia (Analysis)
As the ramifications of AUKUS begin to become clearer, Australia must grapple with various practical, technological and economic factors if it is to achieve its ambitions.
Australia to arm warships with ‘sharper’ weapons
Australia will add much more capable missiles to its warships, in response to the growing threat posed by more belligerent state actors such as China and, to a lesser extent, North Korea.
Surface combatants and submarines of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) will be potently sharpened with a range of new weaponry such as long-range anti-ship missiles, as Canberra seriously considers the regional threat environment.
Defence Minister Linda Reynolds announced on 25 January that A$1 billion ($770 million) will be spent on ‘leading-edge long-range anti-ship missiles [AShM], extended-range surface-to-air missiles [SAM], advanced lightweight torpedoes and maritime land strike capabilities’.
Reynolds stated that the new AShMs and SAMs would reach a range in excess of 370km, while land attack cruise missiles (LACM) would have a 1,500km range ‘to project and maintain sea control’. …
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