Defence ignores risk with big, expensive, U.S.-made drone

(Giga-dollar BAMS goes boom)

Defence continues not to disappoint with its ignorant behavior on big-dollar, gold-plated, high-risk weapons purchases.

Ignorance, by definition, is the proper label for alleged Defence experts on forward weapons platform spending.

In the news today--courtesy of the Defence-fan-base "journalists" that are no such thing--we hear about the alleged great idea of fielding the RQ-4C Triton for ADF service.

The talk is as if it is doing well and risks are not even mentioned other than the usual "Australianising".

It is understood Defence Minister David Johnston will soon recommend to cabinet's national security committee that it grant first-pass approval to a $3 billion unmanned aircraft project to fund the purchase of up to seven drones.

While the drones would be purchased to gather foreign intelligence for Defence, they would also be used to detect illegal fishing and asylum-seeker boats, patrol offshore oil and gas fields, and provide early warning for bushfires. The government's favoured option is the unarmed MQ-4C Triton, manufactured by American defence giant Northrop Grumman.

"Because of the experience of operating unmanned aircraft in Iraq and Afghanistan we've become very operationally aware of what they can do," Mr Williams said. "The question is when they want to start modifying or Australianising them, they probably haven't got that capability."

Aerospace Research Centre deputy director Reece Clothier said the Triton platform was proven through extensive flight testing overseas. "It's something that Australia will have to get, be it now or 10 years down the track," Dr Clothier said.

"That capability is definitely needed -- you can't have a manned aircraft fly for 48 hours across our entire northern reaches in one flight."

The exact opposite is true. The Triton is still in development with no milestone C and a lot to prove. And no mention of the statement by the ignorant person above in relation to 48 hour flights. Read the following and consider if Defence and a Defence-friendly news organisation, are telling you the whole story.

I give you, another candidate for the DMO project of concern list the minute a purchase is made on this high-risk venture.





Australia has a population of 24-some million give or take. Where only 9 million or so pay taxes. I would prefer seeing a finished product before handing over giga-dollars.