Australia to upgrade maritime surveillance fleet in $965m deal | Military News

Authorities to accumulate new Triton drone and enhance its fleet of 14 Poseidon plane amid renewed give attention to northern bases.

The Australian authorities has mentioned it can purchase a brand new drone and improve present patrol and response plane in a 1.5 billion Australian greenback ($964.88m) deal to reinforce its maritime surveillance capabilities.

The army will purchase a fourth MQ-4C Triton drone and improve the air pressure’s present fleet of 14 P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol plane, Pat Conroy, minister for defence trade, mentioned in a press release on Tuesday.

The Triton will likely be delivered in 2024 and be primarily based in northern Australia.

The plane upgrades will present enhancements to anti-submarine warfare, maritime strike and intelligence assortment capabilities, the assertion mentioned.

The primary Poseidon will enter the improve programme in 2026, with the ultimate plane to be accomplished in 2030.

“The acquisition of a further Triton will improve operations from Australia’s northern bases,” Conroy mentioned, noting that these bases had been one in every of six priorities within the nation’s review of its defence strategy.

“The upgrades to the fleet of Poseidon plane strengthens our capacity to safe and shield Australia’s maritime pursuits,” he added.

Australia is overhauling its defences amid rising rigidity in East Asia – notably over the self-ruled island of Taiwan and disputed South China Sea – and as China forges forward with the modernisation of its military.

Australia can also be trying to deepen collaboration with international locations in Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific in addition to america and the UK, with which it shaped the AUKUS trilateral safety alliance in September 2021.

Underneath that settlement, Australia will purchase three nuclear-powered submarines with the three international locations additionally working collectively in areas corresponding to synthetic intelligence capabilities, hypersonic weapons and different superior applied sciences.

Conroy mentioned the Northrop Grumman-built Triton was being developed and bought by the Australian Defence Drive in cooperation with the US Navy.

It might be primarily based on the RAAF Base Tindal within the Northern Territory and operated by the newly reformed Quantity 9 Squadron, positioned at RAAF Base Edinburgh, South Australia.

A upkeep crew could be positioned at every base to service the drone fleet, he added.