The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) are in the process of transition. Procurement programmes are underway worth billions of dollars that will introduce new platforms and technologies to modernise the services and make them among the most capable in the world.
This effort is essential because the strategic threat from China and the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is growing and any conflict in the Indo-Pacific region will largely be decided by air and naval power along with space, cyber and electronic warfare.
Dr Malcolm Davis, Senior Analyst in Defence Strategy and Capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), told Air International that the main challenge faced by Australia and New Zealand is the strategic outlook is “deteriorating really rapidly” given the rising power of China. It means the risk of a large-scale war between the US and China over a flashpoint like Taiwan happening within the next decade is likely.
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