Australia will purchase 20 C-130J Hercules transport aircraft from the US to replace its current aging fleet, reinforcing long-running military ties between Canberra and Washington ahead of high-level security meetings later this week. The agreement will double the size of the second-largest heavy transport aircraft fleet of the Australian Air Force by two-thirds.

The U.S. State Department approved the potential sale of the aircraft in November, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, and related equipment to Australia.

The deal comes amid the largest ever Australia-U.S. joint military exercise, involving more than 30,000 troops and participants from 11 other countries, in a show of force and unity at a time when China has emerged as an increasingly assertive power in the Indo-Pacific.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy stated that the first of the new four-engine Hercules is anticipated to be delivered in 2027 and that the new aircraft will eventually replace the fleet of 12 Hercules that the Royal Australian Air Force now operates from RAAF Base Richmond close to Sydney.

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles and Austin will travel to north Queensland to watch the military exercise following the annual meeting of U.S. and Australian defense and foreign ministers, known as AUSMIN, in Brisbane on July 28-29.

The purchase "will almost double the fleet and represents a massive uplift in capability, in mobility and transport for the Royal Australian Air Force,” Conroy told reporters.

“Almost doubling the fleet gives us more capacity to deploy them on multiple operations at the same time, and that’s the critical driver,” Conroy added.

The agreement was announced in advance of the yearly consultations between American Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken with their Australian counterparts scheduled for this week's end in Brisbane, Australia.

Blinken is making his third trip to Asia in less than two months, underscoring American attempts to resist Chinese influence that is expanding in the region.

Image source: Reuters