Australia has begun forming the Air Combat Group to control all of its tactical fighters. This new group includes 82 Wing (34 F-111s), 81 Wing (70 F-18s), the Operational Conversion Unit (which trains F-18 pilots), and the two squadrons (76 and 79) with the Hawk-127 combat trainers. The theory is that this will better utilize the available pilots and will allow missions to be based on what needs to be done rather than what a given squadron's aircraft can actually do. When a new fighter is selected in 2012, it will replace both the F-18 and the F-111.--Stephen V Cole