Australia plans to buy seven giant unmanned drones for USD 2.7 billion to augment its capability to patrol its borders amid a surge in asylum seekers entering the country's waters.
The unmanned aircraft, with the wingspan of a 737 passenger jet, would be bought under a government plan primarily for military reasons.
However, their ability to patrol as much as 40,000 square nautical miles in a single mission means they would be used to detect illegal fishermen and asylum seekers in Australian waters.
Defence Minister David Johnston would soon recommend to cabinet's national security committee that it grant first pass approval for the USD 2.7-billion unmanned aircraft project in the coming months, The Australian reported today.
"As a maritime nation, a capability with this type of coverage must have our attention," Johnston said.
"Accordingly, this government is interested in exploring cost-effective ways of re-engaging with this particular program and possibly bringing it back on board."
Australia has witnessed a surge in asylum seekers in recent times, setting sail on rickety and overcrowded fishing boats usually from Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
The deployment of large unmanned drones to patrol the nation's borders has been mooted for a decade but the concept was delayed by the former Labour government, which believed the technology was not yet mature.
The drones, if deployed, would replace Australia's ageing fleet of P-3 Orion surveillance planes.
The favoured option at present is the larger MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft, the maritime version of the Global Hawk, which has a range of 2,000 nautical miles and a 360 degree radar that can identify all ships in the area.
The Triton flies above commercial airliners at about 55,000 feet but has the ability to swoop as low as 1,000 feet during a mission.
