Australia will order 58 more F-35 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp for A$12.4 billion ($11.61 billion), Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Wednesday, a purchase that will raise its air combat power to among the world's most advanced.

Australia approved the purchase of 14 of the stealth fighters in 2009, and the additional jets will provide the Royal Australian Air Force with enough aircraft to form three operational squadrons and one training squadron.

The first F-35 aircraft will arrive in Australia in 2018 and enter service with the RAAF in 2020, Abbott said.

Together with the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF's) 24 Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighters and 12 on-order EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, the F-35s would ensure Australia maintains a regional air combat edge while also providing a major boost to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, Abbot said.