Defence is now considering alternative capabilities following DMO and Boeing Australia agreeing to terminate the contract for the delivery of a Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV) System.

Under a contract awarded to Boeing Australia in December 2006, Joint Project 129 sought to deliver the Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) I-View 250 TUAV System, for use by the Australian Army in airborne surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition.

In announcing the decision, Minister for Defence Joel Fitzgibbon said the action will enable Defence to focus on the earliest acquisition of an alternative TUAV to meet the JP129 requirement.

Since the contract was award, Boeing Australia and its subcontractors have experienced a range of technical issues making it increasingly difficult to deliver the full scope of the contract within a timeframe acceptable to Defence. Rigorous management of the program by the DMO determined that proceeding as planned would have led to unacceptable delays in the delivery. As part of the agreement to terminate, Boeing will refund to Defence the $6 million they have been paid to date under the contract.

The Australian Army will continue to use the Scan Eagle UAV that is currently in service in the Middle East.

JP129 Phase 2 seeks to acquire a Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV) system capable of providing airborne surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance to support land operations. The capability would be a vital element of Australia’s national surveillance architecture, particularly for land and littoral operations.

The TUAV system will provide:

• Near Real Time (NRT) reconnaissance capability for a deployed Joint Task Force;
• A target acquisition system capable of providing a NRT sensor-to-decider-to-response asset link; and
• A battle damage assessment capability.

Defence’s concept for the JP129 capability is to provide two Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV) systems, each comprising four air vehicles, two ground stations, a catapult launcher and associated tactical support systems

A new Army regiment, 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment (20 STA REGT) will operate the TUAVs from Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera, in Queensland. The regiment will combine the existing capabilities of the 131st Surveillance and Target Acquisition Battery, with a new Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battery, to be known as the 132nd Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battery, a Combat Service Support Battery and a Regimental Headquarters.