60 AUSTRALIAN AVIATION DECEMBER 2017F
lying unnoticed over the busy
Gulf of Oman, a little Aussie
UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle)
spots a suspicious vessel, maybe
just a trading dhow of the type
that has sailed these waters for
millennia. Or maybe it’s carrying
drugs, weapons or terrorists.
Live video from the UAV is
examined aboard a distant Australian
warship where it will be decided if a
closer look is justified.
This was the first ever operationaldeployment of Royal Australian Navy
UAVs, with four Insitu ScanEagles
and their operators aboard HMAS
Newcastle during her recent mission to
the Middle East.
During that time, the ScanEagles
flew more than 200 hours, either on
their own or in conjunction with the
ship’s MH-60R helicopter. These
simultaneous operations, termed
manned-unmanned teaming, were
another first for the Navy.
It would be nice to report that atleast one of the vessels spotted by the
ScanEagle was found to be carrying
large quantities of drugs or guns,
as has occurred in interceptions by
Australian ships in earlier Middle East
deployments.
Although they did observe
numerous vessels, Lieutenant
Commander Ben Crowther, officer in
charge of the Navy Unmanned Aircraft
Systems Unit (NUASU), said they
produced none of the big drug busts
in what was a relatively quiet patrol inFLYING
EYES
WRITER: MAX BLENKINNavy prepares for a future with UAVs
A ScanEagle is launched from
the deck of HMAS Newcastle.
DEFENCE