Australia Continues US Defence Spend With $1.3 Billion Tomahawk Missile Buy

A Tomahawk cruise missile flies toward Iraq after being launched from the AEGIS guided missile cruiser USS San Jacinto in the Red Sea on March 25, 2003. Mark Wilson/Getty Images

The Albanese Labor government is continuing its U.S. defence spending spree, announcing it will buy more than 200 Tomahawk cruise missiles for the navy’s Hobart-class destroyers at a price tag of $1.3 billion (U.S.$833 million).

The missile’s ability to provide long-range strike capabilities of 1,500 kilometres is fundamental to the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) ability to deter any adversary at longer distances.