Australia Buys Long-range Missiles From The US Worth IDR 73 Trillion: Capable Of Targeting Land, Sea And Air

Australian destroyer HMAS Hobart (DDG 39). (Wikimedia Commons/US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Rawad Madanat)

JAKARTA - Australia said on Tuesday it would strengthen air defenses and missiles in a US$4.7 billion deal (Rp73,091,344,060,000.) with the United States to acquire long-range SM-2 IIIC and SM-6 missiles for its navy.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said the SM-6 would be deployed throughout the naval Class Hobart destroyer and future Hunter Class frigates.

"The Standard Missiles and the 2rd Block IIIC Standard Missiles will allow our Navy to strike maritime, ground and air targets at long distances, and provide a terminal ballistic missile defense capability, increasing the ADF's capacity to protect Australians and their interests," he said in a statement. a statement, reported by Reuters on October 22.

Last year Australia said it would prioritize its long-range precision attack capabilities and strengthen its northern bases, in the country's biggest defensive reshuffle since World War Two, after a review found intense competition between the US and China had affected the region, with the competition for such great powers having "potential conflict".

Earlier, the Australian Navy tested the Raytheon SM-6 missile from a ship in August during a drill with the United States in Hawaii.

SM-6 is the most advanced naval air defense missile in the US arsenal, including against ballistic missiles, and has also been tested to attack ships and ground targets, as well as in the air-to-air scenario.

Australia is increasing prevention by increasing the Navy's long-range attack capabilities quickly, a statement said Tuesday.

Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy said Australia is facing "the most complex geo-strategic environment since the Second World War".

Australia and the United States are working to improve the capabilities of bases in northern and western Australia, which are closer to potential conflict points with China in the South China Sea than the Australian capital, Canberra.