Australia looks to drones for its future defence

The Chief of the Air Force says he would like Australia to buy armed Reaper drones – the kind used by the US to kill insurgents in Afghanistan and its neighbourhood – as soon as five years from now.

Air Marshal Geoff Brown has told Fairfax Media he is an enthusiast for unmanned planes, including the Reaper – and its forerunner the Predator – that have been used to kill thousands of militants in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

The drones, which would likely cost at least $12 million each, are effective for surveillance but can also carry weapons such as Hellfire missiles. Air Marshal Brown, a former fighter pilot, said Australia would “definitely” acquire some sort of armed drones in the future.

“I’m a great fan of capabilities that have a very multi-role aspect to them, and I think Predator-Reaper does have that,” he said. “I think the combination of a good...[intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] platform that’s weaponised is a pretty legitimate weapon system for Australia.”

The Royal Australian Air Force has previously operated Israeli-made, unarmed Heron drones in Afghanistan and will get up to seven Triton maritime surveillance drones in the coming years.

But the purchase of Reapers would take Australia a significant step further forward into the drone era.

Declaring himself an “absolute fan” of the technology, Air Marshal Brown added: “I’d love to have Triton tomorrow…I’d certainly like to have Predator-Reaper capability as well, and I’d like to bring Heron back so we build on those skills that we’ve got.”

Sumber : Asiandefense