Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday announced 13 new Romeo maritime helicopters to be based at HMAS Albatross, should the Coalition be re-elected.

The new Romeo helicopters will replace the existing Taipan fleet used by the navy and will cost $2.5 billion.

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The 13th helicopter will replace one of Albatross' previous Romeos, which was lost in the Philippine Sea last year.

"Our policy continues to set out the significant investments that we are making to ensure that our defense capabilities, our border protection capabilities, are strong and secure," Mr Morrison said, during a visit to Sikorsky Australia.

"This is a $2.5 billion investment ... in the acquisition of these helicopters, and for the ongoing sustainment of the helicopters, which happens right here in this very hangar.

"Now that is expected to add to the 200 direct jobs (at Sikorsky) ... by another 90 jobs."

Incumbent Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips criticised the timing of the announcement as the Australian Defence Force listed the phasing out of MH-60R Romeo helicopters as a "Project of Concern" over a decade ago.

"Once again, our fly-in fly-out Prime Minister doesn't really care about supporting our local defence fleet," Mrs Phillips said.

"If he did, he would have made this commitment a long time ago, because it's been a Project of Concern since 2011.

"Instead he's doing this in the teeth of an election campaign with two weeks to go. He is all announcement and no delivery."

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The prime minister said a further $360 million would be spent on upgrading facilities at HMAS Albatross.

However, the new aircrafts will not be available for use until 2025.

Lockheed Martin's company, Sikorsky Australia, is the Royal Australian Navy's industry partner for delivering maintenance services for the MH-60R Seahawk.

The fleet expansion was welcomed by Lockheed Martin's chief executive, Warren McDonald.

"The expanded MH-60R Seahawk fleet provides strong economic opportunities for Australian industry that will generate more employment, supply chain spending, and partnerships with small to medium enterprises in the Shoalhaven region," he said.

Coming off the back of a heated leader's debate on Sunday, Mr Morrison criticised the federal opposition and said it "completely lost control of borders" when it was last in power.

"(Labor) cut defense funding, they cut funding to important security agencies," he said.

"They completely lost control of our borders, and it cost the budget some $17 billion."

Mrs Phillips called the prime minister a "compulsive liar" and backed her party's defence policy.

"Labor supports giving our troops the equipment they need, and the $270 billion capability acquisition program which includes the replacement of the Tiger Fleet," she said.

"But we're serious about defence capability, which has been neglected by the Liberals and Nationals, and we can't afford another decade of neglect from this government."

Mr Morrison also confirmed the government's plans to acquire 29 AH-64E Apache helicopters to replace the Australian Army's fleet of Tigers, at a cost of over $5.5 billion.

"That's 29 helicopters with the primary purpose of warfighting," he said.

"This is how we're putting Australia in a strong position to operate with our partners, whether they be in the United States, Japan, India, United Kingdom ... to ensure that we have a free and open Indo Pacific."

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