Leo Davies, chief of Australia’s air force, has said he believes the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft will help increase connections between the armed forces of Australia, the U.S. and regional allies, Breaking Defense reported Thursday.
Davies told a forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies that the F-35 offers interoperability on a regional level for Australian and U.S. forces as well as allied JSF operators and potential partners in Asia.
“Ultimately, whether through friendship or institutional arrangement, our combined joint capability means we can prosecute our shared interest together more decisively,” added Davies, according to the report.
Davies noted that Australia’s adoption of F-35 aircraft and decision to procure P-8 Poseidon, EA-18G Growler and MQ-4C Triton units can also drive what he called “institutional interoperability.”