Australia’s first long-range Triton maritime surveillance drone arrives in the Top End
They have been hailed as a transformation capability for the Australian Air Force- long rang, high altitude surveillance drones that will scan the seas around Australia. Today the federal defence minister was at Tindal RAAF Base to mark the arrival of the first Triton, with several more on the way.
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00:00A new eye in the sky, with no one on board.
00:05The Tritons are the largest uncrewed aircraft in the world today.
00:11And this will be one of four aircraft that we acquire as part of a transformational capability
00:20for our Air Force.
00:22With its 40 metre wingspan and more than 24 hour flight time, this high altitude aircraft
00:27will scan the sea around Australia for potential adversaries, from their top end base in Tyndall,
00:33but piloted by operators in South Australia.
00:35This will provide an incredibly important and persistent layer of intelligence, surveillance
00:41and reconnaissance.
00:42Australia is acquiring the drones in partnership with the US Navy, which recently slashed its
00:47order of Tritons in half.
00:50But the Defence Minister insists that these long range drones are exactly what Australia
00:55needs.
00:56We need to have the longest range, persistent surveillance capability possible, given the
01:04vast areas that we need to surveil in order to keep our nation safe.
01:10But not everyone is convinced.
01:12They're an extraordinarily expensive, ultra-luxury drone that we can't afford to lose or replace.
01:21Budget documents show $2.4 billion has been set aside for the first three Triton drones.
01:27The Government's already agreed to buy a fourth, with a further two still being considered.
01:33There are much, much cheaper long range surveillance drones.
01:38The job that the Triton does is able to be done in lots of ways.
01:44This first Triton will start test flights later this year, with another two due to arrive
01:50in 2025.