Sydney's fleet base accelerates Australian air defence

A major naval base makes Sydney both more valuable and more vulnerable. The Royal Australian Air Force would therefore have stronger reasons to invest in fighters and early-warning radar sooner than it did historically. Building an Australian counterpart to Chain Home could also establish domestic radar manufacturing because the country possessed the population, industry, and technical workforce that Singapore lacked. The same defensive logic encourages earlier acquisition of long-range maritime patrol aircraft, potentially including Catalinas.