Australia orders UAV

has signed a contract to provide

its first Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV) under Joint Project (JP) 129.

Boeing Australia, with partner Israel Aircraft Industries' (IAI) MALAT Division, will deliver the I-View 250A TUAV and associated systems to the Australian Army, providing new airborne surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition capabilities.

Boeing Australia is the prime contractor and has responsibility for program management, systems engineering and technical management; and integrated logistics support. IAI will deliver the I-View 250A TUAV system.

Boeing Australia Managing Director David Withers said the company is looking forward to introducing a new capability into the Australian Defence Force (ADF) that will put it at the forefront of global TUAV technology.

According to Boeing, the I-View 250A TUAV mission system will provide a new level of sophisticated reconnaissance and surveillance capability for the ADF. Its endurance and payload capabilities allow it to detect, identify and monitor targets at ranges up to 150km from its launch site. Other features include catapult or conventional runway launch, fully automatic recovery via conventional or powered parafoil and data link equipment based on the US Common Data Link standard to facilitate interoperability with allied forces.

Remote video terminals delivered as part of the mission system will allow all mounted or dismounted army units to receive the images directly. These deployed units, communicating through radio relay capabilities onboard the TUAVs, will be able to direct the sensors to new areas of interest in near real-time.