Australia's biggest defence purchase, the F35 Joint Strike Fighter, is facing more disruption with the sacking of the US General in charge of the program. The federal government says it has built in buffers to cover production delays but it is unclear how long it will take to replace Australia's fleet of FA18 Hornets. Andrew Davies, ASPI, says US defence programs typically run about 50% over budget and 30% to 40% over schedule. He says critics in the US have spoken about entering production before flight tests have finished.
Interviewees: Andrew Davies, Austn Strategic Policy Institute; Robert Gates, US Defence Secretary; Senator George Lemieux, Armed Services Committee; Senator John McCain, Armed Services Committee.