Safeguarding Our North !

The announcement that Australia will buy about a dozen Reaper drones from a US manufacturer raises the question as to why this has taken so long.  At about $23 million each they are a far cheaper option than our present manned fighter jets and are capable of staying in the air for much longer patrol missions.

The Reaper is a bigger and better equipped replacement for the famed Predator drone that has seen service in the Middle East.   It can stay in the air and on station for twenty-seven hours and carry a full weaponry range.  It has long been regarded as the " missing link " in our air force deployment.

We are a country with a vulnerable north and north west coast shoreline.  This became very apparent when we were receiving refugee boats that were evading both satellites and naval patrol vessels to arrive unannounced until their cargo had made landfall.   Those boat arrivals have thankfully stopped, but war or famine make the future uncertain.

We have a very small population in our vast north and to the rest of the world we seem to be the last empty continent.   Our small population of twenty-five million is concentrated on the east coast and to the south, leaving the north and west a tempting target in an over populated world that is facing a food shortage.  That mantra of " Populate or perish "  is very applicable to this empty part of Australia.

At this stage it seems that these Reaper drones will form part of the RAAF but it is also inevitable that they will quickly become a point of contention between the RAAF and the army, as was the situation when helicopters first came into service.   Originally it was RAAF pilots flying helicopters supporting army missions until a momentous decision which gave the army its own air cover.

It is very evident that the drone is about to supplant the artillery as a mobile support firebase for army operations.   Just as helicopters move soldiers to where they are needed, the efficient firepower of the drone will quickly become an essential in military operations.  It is inevitable that drones will eventually become separate arms of both the army and the air force.

It would make sense to decide that balance now that this first purchase of drones is proceeding. There would be cost advantages in combining a training school for the remote operators from both services who will need  skill to " fly " their drone in combat missions and in many instances the two services will need to interact together.  The opportunity exists to combine this function to mutual advantage.

It is already apparent that the drone is now an integral part of modern weaponry.  It will not replace the manned jet fighter, but it provides a safer and cheaper option of deploying effective military force.  It would be a tragedy if it were similarly mishandled  as happened when helicopters first arrived on the military scene.