Stephen Kuper

Repainting is the final step of the P-8A and E-7A’s deeper maintenance services performed by Boeing Defence Australia (BDA) around every 72 months and involves stripping the aircraft back to bare metal, inspecting and repairing for corrosion, defects and dents, and painting and applying decals.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Defence Minister Richard Marles, and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have confirmed Australia will deploy a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail aircraft to Germany to help protect a vital gateway of international humanitarian and military assistance to Ukraine.

With the government continuing to emphasise long-range strikes, why, then, has Air Force missed out on a quantum leap in capability? The B-21 Raider.