MEDIA RELEASE

DPAO 177/98

Tuesday, September 15, 1998

NEW STRIKE WEAPONS FOR F111S

The Department of Defence is to enhance the capability of the RAAF's F111 fleet with more AGM-142 air-to-ground missiles and broaden the Air Force inventory into a 'family' of short-range stand-off weapons designed for specific tasks.

The additional AGM-142 order follows placement of an initial order for the missiles earlier this year. The weapons are being bought through the United State Foreign Military Sales (FMS) System.

The AGM-142E being bought by Australia is a variant of the Popeye missile produced by Israel's Rafael defence manufacturer. Australia is to buy two distinct types: a standard version for single point targets which uses a blast warhead; and a semi-hardened target version fitted with a penetrating warhead.

"The weapons purchase is part of an ongoing commitment to enhance the strike capability and improve survivability of weapon platforms, and is consistent with the major acquisition guidelines outlined in the recent Strategic Review," said the Director-General of Aerospace Development, Air Commodore Norman Gray.

AIRCDRE Gray said Defence also plans to proceed with other elements of the project identified as AIR 5398 to acquire medium range stand-off weapons to deal with area, littoral and radiating/radar targets.

[Area weapons are designed to damage installations in an area - such as on an airfield - rather than to a single point target; littoral targets are those in waters close to the coast; and radiating/radar targets are those which are capable of emitting or receiving radar transmissions.]

"Defence requirements for these will be issued through a broad functionally based Request for Proposal (RFP) to industry, with an emphasis placed on achieving a 'family of weapons' to be in service by 2005," AIRCDRE Gray said.

"Our office has already received a number of inquiries from interested defence manufacturers.To facilitate industry participation, we intend to release a short industry paper before we issue the RFP."

The RFP will be issued in the first quarter of next year.

Tony Underwood (02) 6265 2703