The Air 6000 New Air Combat Capability (NACC) Project aims to introduce a new air combat capability that will meet Australia's air combat needs out to 2030 and beyond. On current plans, AIR 6000 Phase 2A/B program will acquire no fewer than 72 Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft to establish three operational squadrons, a training squadron and necessary supporting/enabling elements to replace the F/A-18A/B Hornet capability.

AIR6000 Phase 2A/B Stage 1 of the project will acquire an initial tranche of 14 CTOL F-35 JSF aircraft and associated support and enabling elements. Ten aircraft will remain in the United States (US) for a number of years for pilot and maintainer training and operational test activities. The remaining four aircraft are planned to arrive in Australia in 2017 to allow commencement of operational test and evaluation activities with other ADF systems.

Lockheed Martin is contracted to the US Government for the development and production of the F-35 JSF. The aircraft and associated support systems are being procured through a government to government co-operative agreement with the US and JSF partner nations, including the United Kingdom (UK), Canada, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands and Turkey.