Issue 346: Unmanned and Over here?

Are these the drones the RAAF will be looking for?

Could an unmanned combat aircraft (or UCAV) provide the RAAF with the long range strike capability it lost with the retirement of the F-111? UCAVs certainly offer that promise, and Defence’s own acquisition roadmap, the Integrated Investment Program, points to that being a possibility when the time comes a decade from now to replace the RAAF’s Super Hornets.

“Its [the Super Hornet’s] replacement could include either a fourth operational squadron of Joint Strike Fighters or possibly a yet to be developed unmanned combat aerial vehicle,” the IIP, which was released in February 2016, reads.