New Zealand boosts defence spend to US$6.6 billion and vows increased closeness with Australia
This budget will be spent over the next four years and nearly doubles the country’s defence spending as part of GDP to 2%.
Avalon 2017: F-35A woos Australia
The platform generating the greatest interest at the Avalon Air Show was the arrival of the Lockheed Martin F-35A fighter, with a pair of the expensive aircraft touching down on Australian soil for the first time on 3 March.
The Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) F-35As flew from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, stopping over in Hawaii, Guam and Brisbane before reaching Avalon. They completed 21 refuelling brackets from an accompanying A330 MRTT, while a C-17A also flew in support.
All in all, it was a major logistical effort to get the F-35As to Australia – the type's
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