Australia Pays US For Every Bomb Dropped On ISIS; Ammunition Price Up To $650K

For every missile or bomb that hits militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, the United States military will be asking Australia for payment. According to reports, smart-guided weapons supplied by the U.S. to Australia's Super Hornets can cost from $70,000 to over $650,000 each.

The Royal Australian Air Force, or RAAF, has been given access to U.S. ammunition, but each missile or bomb comes at a price as stated in the weapons-sharing agreements between the Pentagon and the Australian Defence Force. Reports said the Australian Air Task Group has its own stock of ammunition at the Al Minhad air base near Dubai. However, the Super Hornets have the capacity to carry a combination of both Australian and U.S. ammunition.

Australia will also be buying aircraft fuel from the U.S. and other suppliers. The fuel is usually dispensed on the ground or air-to-air delivery through the RAAF KC-30A multi-role tanker transport, SMH reports. A spokesman for the Australian Defence Force said Australia has access to a wide variety of ammunition. He said he will not elaborate on the specific types and potential costs for operational reasons.

Payments for using ammunition are not new because of long-standing agreements between the U.S., UK and Australia. Coalition partners were paid by Australian about $150 million since the Afghanistan war and Iraq conflict after the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S. in 2001.

Australia's defence department has revealed an RAAF fighter has launched the country's first attack against ISIS after dropping two bombs in an ISIS-held facility. The bombs dropped on the ISIS target would have either been joint direct attack munition bombs or GBU-12 laser-guided bombs at 500 pounds or 2,000 pounds. Both types of weapons have the same levels of accuracy and small error margin, SMH reports.

The defence department did not specify the exact target but referred to it as a "facility." It was previously reported that most of the combat missions for the RAAF were moving targets like ISIS-driven vehicles. The recent attack was the first time Australian forces have dropped bombs on a target that also happened to be their fourth combat mission.