Australian Department of Defence selects Boeing Insitu Integrator tactical UAV.

The Australian Department of Defence has selected Boeing’s Insitu Pacific Pty Ltd to supply the Australian Army with 24 of their signature ‘Integrator’ tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), associated ground systems and integration services under its LAND 129 Phase 3 project. Insitu Pacific offered their Integrator tactical UAV to meet the Australian Army’s requirements, and 24 units will be delivered under a A$650 million (US$480 million) deal.

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Insitu Integrator (Picture source: Insitu Pacific)

The package includes associated ground systems and integration services, and the local manufacture of the UAVs in Brisbane, Queensland. Minister for Defence, the Hon Peter Dutton MP said the platform will provide Army with enhanced abilities to gather intelligence, undertake reconnaissance and surveillance missions, and acquire targets for weapons systems across the Australian Defence Force. Production was confirmed to have already started, with the UAVs expected to be delivered starting 2023, and end by 2024.

In total, this project will commit 80 per cent of its $650 million budget to be spent in Australia using Australian companies and technology to manufacture, maintain and operate the platform throughout its life. The acquisition and initial contract period with Insitu Pacific Limited is worth $307 million alone, and Member of Parliament for Brisbane, Trevor Evans, said the investment by Defence would see local advanced manufacturing jobs grow in Brisbane and across Queensland: “This contract is supporting 130 new and existing jobs here in Brisbane and across Australia,” Mr Evans said.

The Australian Army’s LAND 129 Phase 3 project aims to replace its fleet of AAI RQ-7B Shadow 200 Version 1 currently operated by the 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment. The Integrator uses a base UAV platform as the RQ-21 Blackjack in US military service but will be integrated with indigenous systems, which involves companies including Ascent Vision Technologies Australia, Orbital UAV, Nova Systems Australia, LSM Advanced Composites, and Jayben Group.