Prime Minister Scott Morrison flew into Williamtown on Monday to welcome the arrival of the first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) at the BAE Systems facility, located adjacent to the RAAF base.
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Accompanying the Prime Minister was the Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds, Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price, Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld and BAE Systems Australia CEO Gabby Costigan.
The induction of Australia's newest fighter aircraft into BAE's maintenance depot was part of the government's major milestone in the $65 billion JSF program.
Mr Morrison said that the F-35A fleet was now 33 strong and ready to deploy on operations.
"This is about protecting and securing Australia's interests but it's also creating jobs and driving investment in the Hunter," he said.
"We want to give as many opportunities to Australian companies as possible which is why there's already more than 50 local companies sharing in $2.7 billion worth of contracts as part of the F-35 program.
"As we recover from the COVID recession a key plank of our Economic Recovery Plan is our $270 billion investment in Defence capability over the next decade and our $65 billion commitment in air capabilities."
Ms Reynolds said that the program was progressing on budget and on schedule and the aircraft were undergoing routine structural modifications to improve the airframe, ensuring they reach full life, and align them with newer aircraft.
"We now have 41 fully trained RAAF pilots, nine of whom trained on home soil at RAAF Base Williamtown. We also have more than 225 trained technicians as the RAAF's F-35A maintenance capability continues to develop."
BAE Systems' Williamtown facility will support F-35 aircraft for the next three decades. An initial team of 32 highly skilled F-35 technicians has been recruited to provide airframe maintenance and sustainment for the depot.
Maintaining and sustaining the F-35 will create around 360 new direct jobs for BAE Systems Australia over the next 10 years, and as part of the ramp up to support F-35 sustainment, the company recently recruited 25 former Jetstar technicians, who lost their jobs due to the impact of COVID-19 on the commercial aviation industry.
BAE's Ms Costigan said that BAE was looking forward to delivering a critical maintenance capability, and continuing to partner with the RAAF, the Department of Defence, Lockheed Martin and Defence industry to support the global F-35 program.
"Importantly, this new work will deliver a real boost to this region through new jobs and opportunities for local businesses."
