Above: Australia's F/A-8F Super Hornets arrive in-country.

Commanding Officer of No 1 Squadron, Wing Commander Glen Braz describes the experience of flying the Super Hornet as phenomenal.
The Super Hornet has delivered on every count; it exceeds expectations, and the changes it brings to the air combat environment are remarkable, so it's a significant step from what we have now with the F-111 and it's superb to fly and operate as a very capable fighter.
He said the Super Hornet brings the RAAF into current-day air combat capability. It's a four and a half generation fighter, and it takes us as a stepping stone to our future with the 5th Generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter - and it prepares Air Force in an organisational sense for that.
It brings us into the arena of low observable technology, it brings us advanced electronically scanned radar technology, and it brings us into some more advanced weapon systems.
Being able to operate as part of a Coalition force is considered a significant role.
Interoperability with our allies is very important, and from a joint ADF standpoint the Super Hornet is able to integrate very well with joint players in-country (Navy and Army) and with partner nations such as the US and UK, WGCDR Braz said.
Australia as an island nation needs a solid maritime strike capability. As a US Navy aircraft the Super Hornet is designed around the maritime environment so it fits well into that role.
It's a two-seat aeroplane with great communication systems, so it can integrate with other forces, and you can task-share between both seats to work very effectively in that high workload environment, WGCDR Braz said.
I's a crewed aeroplane, which works very well, and this jet brings crew options the world hasn't seen before because of its ability to multi-task, so you can have crews doing separate tasks simultaneously.
From the broader coalition sense being able to work with our major allies is a major factor, especially with the US.
In its own way, the RAAF is following the strategic direction of the US Navy, the world's fourth largest air force.
The US Navy will be operating Super Hornet and the JSF until about 2030. Their force structure is designed, and to an extent both aircraft types are designed to operate, as a combined combat force. So that sets us up very well to do just that within this bridging timeframe, WGCDR Braz said.