New hypersonic weapons on top of nuclear-powered submarines and electronic warfare capabilities will help secure Australia in an uncertain Indo-Pacific, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says.
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The treasurer's comments came as Britain, the United States and Australia agreed to cooperate on hypersonic weapons under the trilateral AUKUS alliance.
But Mr Frydenberg denied Australia was playing catch-up on defence, with China and Russia already having developed hypersonic weapons.
"These are the latest and high-tech missiles that we're talking about. It's not like they've been in operation for a decade or so," he told the Nine network.
The missiles are able to travel 2000 kilometres and five times the speed of sound.
But Mr Frydenberg was unable to put a timeframe on the missiles, saying they would arrive "as soon as is practical".
"But the key point is were getting in with the US and the UK, two very significant military partners for Australia," he told Sky News.
A less stable region has prompted the need for increased defence spending with autocratic countries like Russia ignoring the international rules based order that have been in place since the end of World War II, Mr Frydenberg said.
"The AUKUS arrangement ... is a broad ranging agreement. It's everything from nuclear powered submarines to also having artificial intelligence and cyber security preparedness," he said.
"Also accessibility to these hypersonic missiles ... (will) help secure Australia in a pretty uncertain international environment."
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin is working to expedite hypersonic weapons systems as it races to keep up with China and Russia.
Russia has recently deployed hypersonic missiles in its invasion of Ukraine.
AUKUS leaders say they were pleased with the progress of the program for conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines for Australia.
In a joint statement, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden committed to expanding information sharing and deepening cooperation on defence innovation, including hypersonics and counter-hypersonics capabilities.
The US and Australia already have a hypersonic weapon program called SCIFiRE (Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment).
Asked about the hypersonic cooperation under AUKUS, China's United Nations Ambassador Zhang Jun warned against measures that could fuel conflict.
"Anyone who does not want to see the Ukrainian crisis should refrain from doing things which may lead the other parts of the world into a crisis like this," Mr Zhang told reporters on Tuesday.
"As the Chinese saying goes: If you do not like it, do not impose it against the others."
The AUKUS leaders also reaffirmed their "unwavering commitment to an international system that respects human rights, the rule of law, and the peaceful resolution of disputes free from coercion" following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Australian Associated Press
