Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

Talks continue on
withdrawal of jets
Consultations are continu
ing with Malaysia and Singa
pore over withdrawal of some
Mirage jet fighters from the
region, according to defence
sources.
The Prime Minister, Mr
Fraser, said on September 18 last
year that it was the Government's
intention to withdraw some of the
jets in the two squadrons based
at Butterworth, Malaysia, but
that the Mirage presence would
be retained until about the
mid-1980s.
There was no guarantee that
the present complement of
Mirages would be retained until
then.
Defence sources said the de
tails of the withdrawal had yet to
be worked out. There were sever
al options available.
The Mirage squadrons-will be
replaced with either the General
Dynamics F16 or the McDon
nell-Douglas F/A-18.
The Mirages have been sta
tioned in Butterworth, with some
being rotated on short deploy
ment to Singapore, for the past
decade as part of Australia's con
tribution to the five-power de
fence agreement with Britain,
New Zealand, Malaysia and Sin
gapore.
They will be phased out as the
new fighter, to be stationed in
Australia, is phased in.
$