Send in the drones

ADF on the verge of embracing unmanned aircraft

The Australia Defence Force looks to be on the cusp of an unmanned aircraft revolution – that much is clear walking around the recent Avalon Airshow.

All three services have been relatively late adapters of unmanned, or remotely piloted, aircraft. The Army has led the way with Scan Eagles and then Shadow 200 tactical UAVs, and most recently with the handlaunched, 1.2kg RQ-12 Wasp. The RAAF, meanwhile, has gained invaluable experience with leased Heron medium-altitude longendurance (MALE) UAVs in Afghanistan, while the Navy is now starting flying the small Schiebel Camcopter vertical takeoff and landing VTOL UAV which will begin trials off an Adelaide class FFG frigate later this year.