Avalon Airshow Down Under - FlightGlobal

 

Doubts about American reliability seep into Avalon show Last week’s Avalon air show was a magnificent showcase of Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) capabilities. The event, held amid dusty pastures near Melbourne, featured the backbone of RAAF combat aircraft, such as the Lockheed Martin F-35A, Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler. Other show stalwarts included the Boeing C-17, E-7A and P-8A, and Lockheed C-130J. On the army side, the first of 40 Sikorsky UH-60M helicopters made an appearance, as Canberra anticipates its first of 29 Boeing AH-64E Apaches in late 2025. The origin of all this kit, of course, is the USA. This reflects the high premium Canberra places on interoperability with its ally across the Pacific, especially given an increasingly aggressive and militaristic China.   Source: Greg Waldron/FlightGlobal American made, Australian operated Yet, show attendees of a certain age might have recalled the lyrics of the old Roxy Music tune ‘Avalon’, about the aftermath of a party: ‘Yes the picture’s changing, every moment… and your destination, you don’t know it…” During FlightGlobal’s previous visits to Avalon, Canberra’s reliance on Washington, DC was viewed as a sure-fire strategy. The second administration of Donald Trump and its disdain for traditional allies, however, raises serious questions about America’s reliability. To be sure, American companies and military officials were thick on the ground at Avalon, including representatives from the Secretary of the Air Force International Affairs or ‘SAF/IA’. Yet, more viscerally the sense of a quavering US commitment was underlined by the late arrival of US fighters, which traditionally have a strong presence at the show. While US Air Force Lockheed F-16s and F-22s showed up for the first public day on 28 March, during the preceding trade days their absence raised eyebrows. As it happened, the late arrival was due not to Trumpian machinations, but technical issues with the fighters and a lack of tankers. Yet, their absence on the trade days seemed to symbolise America’s wavering commitment. Moreover, Avalon is a traditional platform for US generals to speak publicly. At past iterations major stories about programmes such as the F-35 have broken at the show. Yet US defence officials – likely fearful of the Trump administration – kept a very low profile with media. In public, of course, RAAF officials did not touch on political matters, but on 27 March the service’s head of capability was asked about rumours that Washington has a ‘kill switch’ for the F-35. He quashed these concerns categorically, but in years past the question would not have been raised in the first place. Officials have also made much about Australia’s ability to support the F-35 and other US-supplied aircraft locally. There are signs that Canberra is at least contemplating greater autonomy. Boeing Defence Australia and the RAAF continue to develop the MQ-28A Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft. If the RAAF orders the type, it will be produced locally. In a similar vein, Australia has been briefed on the multi-national Global Combat Air Programme being developed by Italy, Japan and the UK – countries who also have reason to fear the changes in the USA. For now, Australia is firmly locked into US programmes, but its future capability acquisition moves will serve as a bellwether for allies’ changing views of the USA. In addition to covering Avalon, the FlightGlobal defence team was also in Portugal, where a senior air force official said that an F-35A buy is still possible, despite recent concerns about the type expressed by its defence minister. Elsewhere, Taiwan received its first F-16 Block 70, while Hindustan Aeronautics scored a massive attack helicopter order. For this and more coverage, visit our defence landing page.