Australia invests AU$2.4 billion in air and missile defense command system — AeroTime
Australia’s Department of Defence announced on October 15, 2026, an investment of AU$2.4 billion, or about US$1.7 billion, in a new system for monitoring airspace and coordinating responses to air and missile threats. The funding is planned for six years and is provided under Project Air 6500, AeroTime reports.
Command and control system
The project provides for the creation of the Joint Air Battle Management System (JABMS), which is intended to replace the Australian Defence Force’s current Air Battle Management System and modernize airspace surveillance and management.
JABMS is intended to become the foundation for command and control of Australia’s integrated air and missile defense system. It is expected to connect sensors, weapons and decision-makers across the maritime, land, air, space and cyber domains. This is expected to provide commanders with a common operational picture and decision-support tools for faster responses to threats.
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Integration of aircraft and ships
Once operational, JABMS will integrate existing and future platforms, including Royal Australian Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighters, Royal Australian Navy Hobart-class destroyers and planned Army medium-range ground-based air defense capabilities. The latter are being developed under Project Land 6504.
The investment also covers the replacement of outdated command-and-control systems, construction of major facilities at the Royal Australian Air Force base in Darwin, procurement of a fleet of mobile vehicles, support for previously delivered capabilities, and integration of new air and missile defense assets.
The project will be implemented under a strategic partnership between the Department of Defence and Lockheed Martin Australia. Australia’s 2026 National Defence Strategy identified missile defense as a critically important capability due to the proliferation of advanced missile technologies and intensifying strategic competition.
