- CANBERRA - Australia will join the United States in a A$30 million (US
$18.5 million) defence project to evaluate a new unmanned, high-altitude
surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft known as the Global Hawk.
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- Australian Defence Minister John Moore
on Monday said Global Hawk, which can fly for 38 hours and at altitudes
of 20 km (12.5 miles), would begin test flights in Australia in 2001.
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- "Global Hawk has the potential to
significantly enhance Australia's ability to monitor our territory and
maritime approaches,'' Moore said in a statement.
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- "It has remarkable capabilities
as an unmanned aircraft and an impressive array of sensors with the potential
to become a formidable asset to Australia's defence systems,'' Moore said.
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- U.S. company Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical,
a subsidiary of diversified manufacturer Allegheny Teledyne Inc, has developed
the aircraft with the U.S. Air Force.
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- Moore said Australia's Defence Science
and Technology Organisation (DSTO) would work with the U.S. Air Force's
Aeronautical Systems Centre to further develop Global Hawk's systems.
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- Global Hawk is the size of a large business
jet and carries high-resolution radar, optical and infra-red sensors and
a satellite communications and navigation system.
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- It is designed to cover up to 137,000
square km (52,895 square miles) of desert or forest on each mission and
beam radar, infra-red and visible images directly to a ground commander.
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- Moore said DSTO would help enhance Global
Hawk's radar to boost its ability to detect moving targets, and would also
ensure the aircraft could operate with both U.S. and Australian forces.
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- Global Hawk has already completed 13
test flights from Edwards Air Force Base in California, the U.S. Air Force
said in a statement announcing the joint-Australian project.
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- The U.S. Air Force said the Australian
test flights would enable Global Hawk to demonstrate its high-altitude
surveillance abilities over millions of square miles of Australia's outback.
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