Australia vows to begin guided missile production ‘within two years’
Sydney, Australia, Apr 26 (EFE).- Australia will start building long-range guided missiles by 2025, two years sooner than planned, Defense Minister Richard Marles said on Wednesday, amid regional tension over China’s Taiwan posturing.
The Australian government on Monday released the 110-page Defence Strategic Review (DSR), stating that it would spend some AU$19 billion ($12bn) to boost military capabilities as recommended in the report.
The review recommended Australia shift focus from land-based weaponry to “longer-range strike capability,” with home-grown munitions.
Marles said on Wednesday that AU$ 2.5 billion would be earmarked to develop guided weapons.
He said the project was part of the plan to implement Australia’s biggest military reforms and prepare for the “missile age.”
He said the plan “is a complete game changer in Australia being able to enter the manufacture of guided weapons in the future.”
The minister said it developing the industrial base in Australia was important to get “the war stocks and the capabilities that we need in the future.”
Marles said AU$1.6 billion would be spent on accelerating the purchase of precision strike missiles and mobile rocket systems known as HIMARS. EFE
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