State of the art pilot-less planes headed for Australia as part of $7billion defence spend
The first of at least four new unmanned surveillance aircraft, about the size of a Boeing 737, has been spotted on its long journey across the Pacific Ocean to Australia.
The Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton – also known as the AUS 1 – left a California Naval Air Station on Thursday en route to Katherine via Wake Island.
The drone is expected to land at RAAF Base Tindal on Saturday.
It will then be deployed for maritime patrols in support of the Australian Border Force.
The drone was flying under the callsign SCORE47 and was last seen on the company’s flight tracking software FlightAware. California coast, towards the Pacific Ocean.
File photos of MQ-4C Triton. Courtesy of Northrop Grumman. Image has been manipulated. Photo: Ministry of Defense
The Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton – also known as the AUS 1 – left a California naval air base on Thursday. Image: FlightAware
Defense Industry Secretary Pat Conroy last year confirmed the purchase of a fourth MQ-4C Triton as part of a $1.5 billion boost to the RAAF’s capabilities.
The long-haul aircraft will be operated from Edinburgh Air Base near Adelaide, following a spate of recent unauthorized boat arrivals in Australia.
About 30 suspected asylum seekers from Pakistan and Bangladesh were arrested in February after arriving near Beagle Bay, 80 miles from Broome.
It comes more than two decades after Australia first expressed interest in acquiring the Triton, but it has not come without criticism from skeptics.
Despite operating at altitudes of more than 50,000 feet, the Triton drone is vulnerable to enemy attack and reportedly cannot monitor small wooden craft.
Chief Air Force Capability Air Vice-Marshal Wendy Blyth welcomed the arrival of the drones, saying the aircrews had already undergone extensive training.
“The MQ-4C Triton will provide unprecedented resilience and maritime domain awareness in support of the Integrated Force,” he said Wednesday.
“Unmanned aerial systems offer enormous potential to take advantage of the opportunities presented by modern payloads and greater endurance.
“This will significantly enhance our ability to sustainably patrol the northern and northwestern approaches to Australia; in the southwestern Pacific Ocean and south to Antarctica.”
