The Pacific nation is integrating advanced military capabilities amid growing tensions with China
An Australian destroyer has for the first time fired a US-provided Tomahawk cruise missile, marking the increasing military cooperation that China perceives as destabilizing the Pacific.
The test launch involved the Hobart-class ship HMAS Brisbane, which is currently located off the coast of San Diego, for an “interchangeability deployment,” according to the Australian military.
The country is the third after the US and the UK to deploy what Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy described on Monday as “the jewel in the crown and a step change in our firepower, deterrence and ability to strike land-based targets at ranges never before available to the Royal Australian Navy.” The Tomahawk weapon system has an extended range of up to 2,500km, the statement stressed.
Canberra announced its intention to purchase the American missiles in 2021, soon after the US, UK, and Australia formally launched their AUKUS military alliance. Beijing has described the pact as “driven by Cold War mentality” and a source of instability in the Pacific. Washington is pushing for a regional arms race, Chinese officials have claimed.
Under the same arrangement, the US provides the Australian Navy with nuclear technology to produce and operate Virginia-class submarines. The future boats will be able to fire Tomahawk missiles, along with the Brisbane and its two sister ships, the Hobart and the Sydney. They were all commissioned from 2017 to 2020 and are considered among the most capable Australian warships.
The Australian program to deploy Tomahawks costs over $800 million. The US government said last year it will be selling up to 200 Block V variants and 20 Block IV variants to its ally.
Japan, another American regional partner, has signed a $2.35 billion deal to purchase 400 Tomahawk missiles, which are to be supplied through 2027, its military announced in January.
The Sydney fired an anti-ship Naval Strike Missile (NSM) for the first time during a multinational exercise in July. The Norwegian-made weapon is set to replace the Harpoon missiles currently used by the Australian Navy. The following month, the same warship fired the American Standard Missile 6 (SM6) air defense system for the first time.
Australia has said it is committed to accelerating the acquisition of long-range strike capabilities, highlighting on Monday the two other weapons alongside the Tomahawk as furthering that goal.
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