iTnews

Australia partners with Boeing on new combat drone build

By Justin Hendry on Feb 27, 2019 12:35PM
Australia partners with Boeing on new combat drone build

$40m to further develop prototype.

The federal government will invest $40 million to further develop a 12-metre prototype combat drone built by Boeing Australia.

Minister Christopher Pyne and Defence Industry Minister Steven Ciobo announced the partnership with the aerospace company on Wednesday to progress research and development on the project.

The partnership will result in a concept demonstrator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that will be used to progress the development of the Boeing’s new unmanned platform, dubbed the Boeing Airpower Teaming System.

“The partnership will produce a concept demonstrator of a low cost unmanned ‘Loyal Wingman’ aircraft, capable of operating in concert with Air Force’s fifth generation air combat capability,” Pyne said.

“This will be Boeing’s first unmanned aircraft designed and engineered in Australia and represents the company’s largest investment of its kind outside of the United States.”

An initial concept, designed and developed in Australia, was unveiled at the Australian International Airshow on Wednesday.

The ABC reported the drone has been quietly developed in collaboration with the Royal Australian Air Force in Brisbane.

However the first flight remains some time away, with the drone not expected to take to the skies until 2020.

In a statement, Boeing said the UAV would provide “fighter-like performance”, capable of flying more than 3700 kilometres.

At around 12-metres in length, it would “integrate sensor packages onboard to support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions and electronic warfare”.

It would also use “artificial intelligence to fly independently or in support of manned aircraft”.

Around $10 million per year for the next four years will be invested to evolve the concept, with Boeing expected to partner with both big and small Australian businesses and research organisations for the delivery.

“The development and demonstration of this air vehicle will create around 100 new high-technology jobs in aerospace engineering and design in Australia, as well as wider job opportunities across the supply chain,” Ciobo said.

“This proposal could lead to another exciting step forward in Australia’s defence export strategy and provide our allies with critical capabilities based on Australian ingenuity.”

Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Copyright © iTnews.com.au . All rights reserved.
Tags:
boeing defence drone projects strategy uav

Partner Content

MSI shows first laptops with Wi-Fi 6E, Nvidia RTX 30 graphics
Partner Content MSI shows first laptops with Wi-Fi 6E, Nvidia RTX 30 graphics
MSI launches innovative new laptops
Partner Content MSI launches innovative new laptops
Improving returns from SD-WAN spending
Sponsored Content Improving returns from SD-WAN spending
NCS expands into Australia in partnership with Optus Enterprise
Sponsored Content NCS expands into Australia in partnership with Optus Enterprise

Sponsored Whitepapers

The risky business of open source
The risky business of open source
Mitigating open source risk in your organisation
Mitigating open source risk in your organisation
How to choose a WAF that's right for you
How to choose a WAF that's right for you
The global telco 5G cloud gaming opportunity
The global telco 5G cloud gaming opportunity
Building a ransomware remediation backup strategy
Building a ransomware remediation backup strategy

Events

  • On-Demand Webinar: How Poly and Microsoft are Embracing Future Work Environments
By Justin Hendry
Feb 27 2019
12:35PM
0 Comments

Related Articles

  • Defence's high-tech 2030 vision for Aussie troops
  • Boeing Australia debuts first locally built 'Loyal Wingman' defence drone
  • Telstra, Thales pilot airspace management system over Geelong
  • Defence wants to become better at using data
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Whatsapp Email A Friend

Most Read Articles

Telstra pilots its first neurodiversity recruitment program

Telstra pilots its first neurodiversity recruitment program

Update Chrome or risk remote takeover, US govt warns

Update Chrome or risk remote takeover, US govt warns

Accellion hack behind Reserve Bank of NZ data breach

Accellion hack behind Reserve Bank of NZ data breach

Google unravels state-of-art Android and Windows exploit chains

Google unravels state-of-art Android and Windows exploit chains

You must be a registered member of iTnews to post a comment.
Log In | Register
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.