Australia is rushing to deploy long-range missiles after the arrival of powerful warships of China highlights Beijing’s growing naval strength.
In a move to boost military firepower, Canberra plans to arm Australian soldiers with anti-ship missiles and advanced targeting radars to protect the country’s vast maritime approaches, according to contract announcements as well as a flurry of recent official speeches and ministerial statements.
New Anti-Ship Missiles
Two new types of advanced anti-ship missiles for the army fired from mobile launchers are under evaluation with a decision expected by the end of the year, the government has said.
Australian government officials have said that future versions of one of the contenders, Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile, were expected to have a range of up to 1,000km and could be fired from High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers.
Australia has 42 HIMARS launchers on order from the United States, with launchers expected to be in service from 2026-27, according to the defence department.
The U.S. Army in June used two Precision Strike Missiles to successfully attack a moving target at sea during an exercise in the Pacific, the army said in a statement.
China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) jolted Australia’s security services with the deployment of three warships – one of its most potent cruisers, a frigate and a replenishment ship – close to the country’s biggest cities of Sydney and Melbourne late last month.
Chinese ‘Live-Fire’ Drill
Air traffic between Australia and New Zealand was disrupted with 49 flights diverted on February 21 when the Chinese flotilla held what appeared to be a live fire exercise in the Tasman Sea without notifying authorities in Canberra or Wellington.
The office of the Australian defence minister didn’t respond to questions for this story.
The new missiles for the Australian army would deliver a potent strike capability and act as a deterrent to potential adversaries, according to Mick Ryan, a retired Australian army Major General.
“You could put a HIMARS launcher with a maritime strike missile in Sydney and it would have the potential to hit one of those ships,” Ryan said.
Conflict Readiness
New missiles for the Australian army are a key element of Canberra’s plan to prepare for a more assertive Chinese military presence in waters around Australia.
They could also be deployed to support allied forces defending strategically important islands in the Asia-Pacific region in the event of conflict, military experts told Reuters.
New long-range missiles are also on order for Australia’s navy and air force.
To counter what senior Australian officials describe as the “greatest strategic uncertainty” since World War Two, Canberra will spend up to AUD$74 billion ($47 billion) over a decade on targeting technology, long-range strike capacity, missile defence and manufacturing of missiles and explosives, according to official speeches and defence planning documents.
Canberra is not alone in turning to these long-range strike weapons to counter the threat from China.
Missile Forces Modernisation
The U.S. and most of its key allies in Asia, including the Philippines, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, are also modernising and expanding their missile forces. They are deploying new missiles, accelerating research on hypersonic weapons and other new technologies, re-purposing older projectiles and expanding production lines.
Asked how China viewed the decision by Australia and other countries to boost their missile arsenals, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Beijing was pursuing “a defensive national defence policy,” and China shouldn’t be used “as an excuse to exaggerate tensions” and “incite arms races.”
For some of America’s regional allies, this quest for new missiles is likely to take on new urgency with growing uncertainty over the Trump administration’s commitment to traditional security ties, according to Ross Babbage, a former Australian government defence official and now a senior non-resident fellow at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
In response to questions from Reuters, a Pentagon spokesperson cited Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as having said that deterring China was a priority for his department.
“One of the ways we do that is by building and maintaining a strong network of allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific,” said Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot. “There should be no doubt to our commitment to the safety and stability of the region.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
