Joint strike fighter one of 15 Australian defence projects to be delayed due to Covid

Audit office says pandemic-related supply chain, workforce and contractor delay averages three to six months

The joint strike fighter is one of 15 major defence projects suffering delays due to Covid-19, the Australian National Audit Office has said.

In a report released on Monday, the ANAO found defence's largest 25 projects currently have a budget of $78.7bn - which is $24.2bn more than when they achieved second pass approval.