Page 112 - Australian Defence Magazine Sep-Oct 2022

112 LAND WARFARE UNCREWED AERIAL SYSTEMS
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
INTEGRATING ARMY’S NEXT UNCREWED AERIAL SYSTEM
Less than six months after the selection in March of lnsitu Pacific’s Integrator uncrewed aerial system (UAS) to replace the RQ-7B Shadow 200 as Army’s premier tactical UAS, the first pilot training course has been successfully completed, Australian manufacture was underway, and initial deliveries were set for 2023.
JULIAN KERR | SYDNEY
PRECISELY when in 2023 has yet to be determined, and De- fence has yet to disclose a target date for Initial Operating Capability (IOC).
But commenting in August on a notably tight schedule, lnsitu Pacific Managing Director Andrew Duggan stated: “The point of training pilots now is to prepare them to fly a platform built here in Australia next year.”
Twenty-four of the US-designed but Australian-manufac- tured Integrator air vehicles, along with associated ground systems and integration services, are to be delivered to the ADF under Project Land 129 Phase 3.
These will equip the three batteries of the Brisbane-
based 20th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, and pro- vide several attrition spares. Each Integrator system com- prises five air vehicles, two ground control stations, and launch and recovery support equipment.
AN INTEGRATOR FOR AUSTRALIA
The initial acquisition and support contract with the Boeing subsidiary is worth $307 million, part of an overall $650 mil- lion investment by Defence in the capability. This includes $56 million to enhance support facilities at Gallipoli Bar- racks, and modifications to a number of Bushmaster pro- tected mobility vehicles that will form part of each system.