$3bn plan for drone force to patrol our borders
CAMERON STEWART THE AUSTRALIAN
UP to seven giant unmanned aircraft would be bought for $3 billion under a government plan that would transform the country’s ability to patrol its borders.
The move could see unmanned planes with the wingspan of a 737 passenger jet patrolling the ocean used by asylum-seeker boats to Australia’s north within six years.
Although the unmanned aircraft would be primarily purchased for military reasons, to spot enemy ships and planes in a conflict, their ability to patrol as much as 40,000 square nautical miles in a single mission means they would also be used to detect illegal fishermen and asylum-seekers, patrol offshore oil and gas assets and provide early warning for bushfires.
The Weekend Australian understands that Defence Minister David Johnston will soon recommend to cabinet’s national security committee that it grant first pass approval for the $3bn unmanned aircraft project in the coming months, starting a process that would usher in a new era in border patrol. “As a maritime nation, a capability with this type of coverage must have our attention,” Senator Johnston said.
“Accordingly, this government is interested in exploring cost-effective ways of re-engaging with this particular program and possibly bringing it back on board.”
Senator Johnston is understood to believe that the time is right to introduce large maritime unmanned aircraft into the RAAF.
Defence has made preliminary inquiries about possible capabilities, asking for unmanned aircraft that have the ability to swoop low and identify asylum-seeker boats and if necessary drop a life raft to boats in distress.
The concept of large unmanned aircraft patrolling Australia’s sea approaches has been mooted for a decade, but the concept was delayed by the former Labor government, which believed the technology was not yet mature enough.
There was also cultural resistance to the idea of unmanned aircraft from within the air force.
Senator Johnston wants to revive the project, although he will have to persuade cabinet that the cost of the seven unmanned aircraft can be squeezed into an already tight defence budget.
If approved by cabinet, Defence would have to choose between cheaper but less capable unmanned aircraft or larger, longer range aircraft.
The favoured option at present is the larger MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft, the maritime version of the Global Hawk, which has a long range of 2000 nautical miles and a 360 degree radar that can identify all ships in the area.
This would also provide a regional surveillance compatibility with the US Navy, which plans to buy 68 Tritons when they enter service in late 2017.
The current Defence Capability Plan calls for the purchase of seven unmanned aircraft to complement a new fleet of about eight P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. This mixed fleet will replace the RAAF’s ageing fleet of 18 P-3 Orions.
The Triton unmanned aircraft flies above commercial airliners at about 55,000 feet but has the ability to swoop as low as 1000 feet during a mission.
They would probably be remotely piloted from Adelaide’s Edinburgh air force base.
The aircraft would also be installed with signals intelligence equipment, meaning that they would also partially operate as a spy plane. Unlike some unmanned aircraft, the Triton is for surveillance only and is not armed.
