The Australian Department of Defense does say that Air USA plans to use the aircraft it does receive for air combat training in the United States, which could include sorties as part of the huge adversary air support deal the U.S. Air Force concluded last year. That entire multi-part contract was worth an estimated $6.4 billion, though the exact amounts that each of the seven firms who got hired actually received is unclear.

Air USA isn't the only one to have made plans to acquire additional combat jets in preparation to meet the requirements of this contract. Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) and Draken both purchased second-hand fleets of French-made Mirage F1s, while the latter company bought an additional number of ex-South African Cheetahs, a Mirage III derivative. TacAir bought a group of former Royal Jordanian Air Force F-5E Tiger II jets, which it then upgraded into its F-5AT Advanced Tiger configuration. As of January, Top Aces was still in the process of taking delivery of 29 F-16A Viper fighters from an unknown source, possibly Jordan.

F/A-18A/Bs would certainly offer a TacAir a different kind of capability from the other aircraft in its fleet, which includes Franco-German Alpha Jets, Czech L-59 Albatrosses, and BAE Hawks. All of these are much lighter jets than the Hornets. The company also has a small number of Soviet-era MiG-29UB Fulcrums.

There's no word on how much Air USA's purchase of ex-RAAF Hornets is set to cost, but the aircraft could need significant additional upgrades to their systems and basic structure before they can begin flying adversary air sorties. As noted, these jets first entered service in the 1980s and may have limited flight hours left in them unless they receive a major structural overhaul.