MEDIA  RELEASE   Senator the Hon. Sandy Macdonald Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence Deputy Leader of The Nationals in the Senate   PARLSEC 082/2006 Friday 1 September 2006   FLYING START TO NORTH WEST SHELF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT TRIAL  The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Senator Sandy Macdonald, today launched a major Defence trial aimed at testing the ability of an unmanned aircraft to perform maritime surveillance in Australia’s North West Shelf.  Senator Macdonald said the trial involves a Mariner Demonstrator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) working with a Royal Australian Navy Armidale Class Patrol Boat, the Joint Offshore Protection Command and the Pilbara Regiment to conduct surveillance and response missions.   A demonstration flight of the UAV has been performed today at RAAF Base Edinburgh, South Australia, which will act as the control and communications centre while the aircraft is airborne.    “The North West Shelf is of vital strategic and economic importance to Australia and enhancing existing security in this area is a priority for the government.  This trial meets an election commitment outlined in our 2004 policy on Securing Australia’s North West Shelf,” he said.    Senator Macdonald said the trial will assess the potential of UAVs to operate under a joint, integrated surveillance capability with the Navy’s Armidale Class Patrol Boats and other assets to provide an additional layer of surveillance in Australia’s northern maritime approaches.    “It is essential to explore new solutions and new technologies to protect this region from criminal activities such as illegal fishing, drug running and people smuggling,” Senator Macdonald said.  The trial is being led by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) in collaboration with Navy, Army, the Royal Australian Air Force and other elements of Defence as well as the Joint Offshore Protection Command. US company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is participating in the trial with a Mariner Demonstrator UAV as the aerial platform.  The UAV will fly four missions over the North West Shelf leaving RAAF Edinburgh on September 4 for Western Australia where it will operate out of RAAF Learmonth and return to South Australia on September 19. Individual sorties will vary between eight hours and more than 16 hours. During each mission the UAV will record the movements of vessels passing through Australian waters and exchange information with the Patrol Boat. Data collected by the UAV will be transmitted to RAAF Edinburgh for analysis.



The aircraft can fly at altitudes between 500 feet and 50,000 feet for as long as 30 hours  without re-fuelling.

Senator Macdonald said the GA-ASI UAV had been specially modified for the purposes of  the Australian trial. It will carry only sensor and communications equipment suitable for  maritime surveillance missions.

As a complementary activity, another US company, Northrop Grumman, will be conducting  modelling and simulation work in October, using its Cyber Warfare Integration Network  capability.

“Modelling and simulation will enable Defence to assess a range of factors not encountered  during the trial flights and to consider how future systems might perform in the Australian  environment,” Senator Macdonald said.

“The UAV trial was a valuable exercise for Defence with results from this trial to assist  Defence in developing the requirements for phase one of the Air 7000 project.  Under this  project Defence plans to acquire a long endurance, multi-mission unmanned aerial system.”

Senator Macdonald said information gathered during the trial would also assist the  government to consider unmanned aerial systems for future operations under the civilian  maritime surveillance program.





Media information:  Media Adviser: Rachel Kingsford Smith 0408 019 537  Darryl Johnston (DSTO)  0404 823 741  Defence Media Contact: (02) 6265 3343 or 0408 498 664

