Australia to deploy drones in Adelaide

CANBERRA - The Australian government has committed to the acquisition of the highly-capable Triton Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and its deployment in Adelaide, capital city of South Australia, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Thursday.

Abbott said the drones, subject to the successful completion of the US Navy development program currently under way, will patrol Australia's ocean approaches, and work closely with other existing and future Australian Defense Force assets to secure its ocean resources, including energy resources off northern Australia, and help to protect its borders, Abbott said in a joint statement with Defense Minister David Johnston.

He also said that they will provide the Australian Defense Force with "unprecedented maritime surveillance capabilities, operating at altitudes up to 55,000 feet over extremely long ranges while remaining airborne for up to 33 hours."

The total number of Triton UAVs to be acquired and their introduction into service will be further considered by the federal government in 2016, based on the Defense White Paper, the statement said.

The acquisition will require about 140 million AU dollars ($125.48 million) of new facilities and infrastructure, some 100 million AU dollars ($89.63 million) of which will be invested in South Australia, the statement added.

"This potentially involves the expansion and enhancement of existing facilities and infrastructure at RAAF Base Edinburgh. Support requirements for Triton should create approximately 20 million AU dollars ($17.93 million) annually in further opportunities for South Australian companies," Abbott said.

In addition, the federal government has also announced a contract that includes 78 million AU dollars ($69.91 million) in work for BAE, a defense contractor in Adelaide.

This forms part of a five-year multi-million-dollar contract with Boeing Defense Australia for the sustainment of the Royal Australian Air Force's E-7A Wedgetail aircraft. The main contract will now run until June 2019 and includes engineering and maintenance support, repairs, spare parts and aircrew and maintenance training for the Wedgetail fleet.

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