2RHPZ
05-30-2004, 03:23 AM
The Australian Defence Magazine is reporting that National Air Support (NAS), the company which operates 15 fixed wing aircraft for Coastwatch Australia has signed an "exclusive partnership with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, manufacturer of the ... Predator family of UAVs and their maritime surveillance varients , the Mariner."
NAS currently operates Dash-8s, Islanders and Cessna F-406s for Coastwatch under a 10 year contract patrolling Australian waters. This contract expires soon and is likely to go to retender this year. The magazine believes that NAS will probably offer Mariner UAVs as part of it's bid, to perform some of the roles currently performed by manned aircraft.
" NAS won't disclose details of it's likely bid for the Coastwatch re-tender .....but (Anthony) Patterson (Business Development Manager) told ADM the company is looking to establish a system of systems with the various components- manned aircraft, UAVs, space based imagery mutually supporting each other...........
NAS studied a number of UAVs and settled on Mariner for another important reason- it's surveillance payload lends itself to a traditional maritime surveillance concept of operations which, for optimum sensor performance and surveillance effectiveness, requires the aircraft to operate for exteneded periods at low to medium altitude."
This could mean Mariner UAVs patrolling Australian waters by 2007. If this goes ahead it would be a signifant blow to the Global Hawks chances of being purchased for the ADFs surveillance needs. Especially if Australia becomes the Asian base for Mariner sales and maintenance, which is what the article implies will happen.
NAS currently operates Dash-8s, Islanders and Cessna F-406s for Coastwatch under a 10 year contract patrolling Australian waters. This contract expires soon and is likely to go to retender this year. The magazine believes that NAS will probably offer Mariner UAVs as part of it's bid, to perform some of the roles currently performed by manned aircraft.
" NAS won't disclose details of it's likely bid for the Coastwatch re-tender .....but (Anthony) Patterson (Business Development Manager) told ADM the company is looking to establish a system of systems with the various components- manned aircraft, UAVs, space based imagery mutually supporting each other...........
NAS studied a number of UAVs and settled on Mariner for another important reason- it's surveillance payload lends itself to a traditional maritime surveillance concept of operations which, for optimum sensor performance and surveillance effectiveness, requires the aircraft to operate for exteneded periods at low to medium altitude."
This could mean Mariner UAVs patrolling Australian waters by 2007. If this goes ahead it would be a signifant blow to the Global Hawks chances of being purchased for the ADFs surveillance needs. Especially if Australia becomes the Asian base for Mariner sales and maintenance, which is what the article implies will happen.