Australia presents OWL first National made loitering munition.

The Australian army is finally integrating a new electric-powered kamikaze drone, in development for over two years. Dubbed "Owl," the loitering munition can travel up to 200 kilometers (124 miles) and remain airborne for 30 minutes without recharging.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

Owl loitering munition in test phases (Picture source: Institu Pacific )

The One-Way Loitering (OWL) munition has been developed by Western Australia-based Innovaero and Insitu Pacific, a subsidiary of Boeing, and is currently being tested by an unspecified army special operations unit. Known simply as "the Owl," the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been in development with the army since 2022 and is designed to integrate with other drones acquired by the Australian Defense Forces.

Government tender documents reveal that developer Innovaero, partly owned by BAE Systems Australia, has been awarded more than $5.3 million in defense contracts since May 2022 to design, develop, build, and test the aircraft.

The growing importance of armed drone warfare was highlighted during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with military experts criticizing Australia's lack of urgency in acquiring this lethal technology.

A Defense spokesperson declined to comment specifically on the Innovaero Owl but confirmed to ABC that a future loitering munition capability is expected to be introduced this calendar year.

Australian Defense continues its trials on maritime, land, and air platforms with Australian and foreign suppliers to ensure that the Australian Defense Forces can deploy the latest technologies and maximize their benefits.

For the moment, the fully electric loitering munition is in the testing phase, but these tests are crucial, as the doctrinal changes in the use of aerial weapons by the Australian forces will depend on the results of these tests. The introduction of loitering munitions in most of the Australian army's combat units will be determined by the outcomes of these tests.

Defense industry insiders are pleased with the progress of the Innovaero Owl project, but they warn that lengthy delays have been imposed on other so-called urgent innovation programs due to a lack of funding to advance contracts.