Oz Wants a Raptor

Australia's new defense minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, is sticking by promises to seek access to the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.

His stance is a bit confusing, because neither he nor the rest of the government is saying they actually want to buy F-22s. Japan, on the other hand, knows that it does want them and has been told by Washington it can't have them.

"I intend to pursue American politicians for access to the Raptor to get it into the mix," Fitzgibbon says, repeating a commitment he made before his Labor Party won the country's Nov. 24 election.

They are probably going to have the same problem that Japan has been facing with acquiring the Raptor: it's under special export restrictions. They might want to buy the Japanese equivalent instead. I bet the Japanese would be more than happy to sell it to the Aussies.