Australia intends to provide its future tactical unmanned air vehicle (TUAV) operators with limited flight and battlespace management training in a measure intended to optimise the effectiveness of its planned Joint Project 129 (JP129) system, says Maj Martin Power from the Department of Defence's capability systems division.
Canberra has held discussions with current TUAV operators including Singapore, the UK and the USA to help inform its selection process, and will later this year assign a team of four army personnel to the British Army's 32 Regiment, Royal Artillery to gain experience with the BAE Systems Phoenix target-acquisition UAV. Australia, which has within recent years used Aerosende-sourced UAVs in the Solomon Islands, hopes to learn from the UK's use of the Phoenix as a force multiplier in Iraq, says Power.
The DoD official has also announced plans to place the Australian army's future TUAV operators through around 25h of initial instruction at civil flying schools or military training facilities before sitting a general flying progress test. "We must reinforce an aviation culture within an army structure", he says. "The quality and training of our personnel is the key to an effective [TUAV] capability."
The DoD is evaluating proposals based on the BAE Systems Australia AAI Shadow 200, Boeing Australia/Israel Aircraft Industries I-View and Elbit Systems ADI Hermes 180/450 systems under its JP129 programme, which is in its project definition phase.
To enter service from 2008, the JP129 system will equip two army units, with each to field numerous UAVs plus two ground control stations and two ground data terminals. The selected system will be the subject of annual safety audit and airworthiness board reviews, says Power.
Source: Flight International
