Australia is investing $7 billion in advanced air defense missiles, enhancing the strike capabilities of the Royal Australian Navy.

Australia will spend $7 billion to buy “the best air defense missiles in the world”, which will significantly improve the navy’s medium- and long-range strike capabilities.

Defense Industry Secretary Pat Conroy announced the purchase of Standard 2 Block IIIC (SM-2) and Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) missiles from the United States during a visit to Washington this morning.

“We live in the age of rockets,” he said.

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“We are living in the largest arms race in our region since 1945, with a high degree of strategic uncertainty.”

The advanced missiles will be gradually installed on Hobart-class destroyers and Hunter-class frigates of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

In August, Australia became the first country outside the US to test fire an SM-6 during a training exercise near Hawaii.

The SM-2 has a range of 160 km and the SM-6 has a range of 500 km, providing enhanced defense capabilities against air and missile threats.

Conroy said they would also provide offensive anti-ship capabilities and allow the RAN to intercept ballistic missiles for the first time.

“We live in an era where many countries in our region are investing in anti-ship missiles and the aircraft to deliver them, so these missiles are designed to combat them,” the minister told reporters.

The announcement comes following the Albana government’s decision to spend $850 million to create a missile manufacturing plant in Newcastle in partnership with Norwegian defense giant Kongsberg.

The facility will be the first facility outside of Norway to produce and maintain naval strike missiles and joint strike missiles.