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Canadian Defence Cooperation  –  Australian UAV Lease  –  07 Sept 2009 Australia to Lease Heron UAVs from McDonald Dettwiler – Is Oz Following CF Lead or  did the ADF inspire DND's Project Noctua? Australian Army  and  RAAF personnel  have been quietly training  in  Canada on the IAI Malat Heron UAV. [1]  Once proficient,  the Australian personnel were "absorbed within the Canadian Heron UAV Detachment at Kandahar airfield conducting combat operations in support of  ISAF". Now Australia's Minister for Defence has announced that his country will follow Canada's example of the CU-170 Heron and Project Noctua. As with the Canadian example, Australia's lease of these Israeli UAVs will be arranged by  MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. of  Richmond, BC.  This arrangement – and an MOU signed  for cooperation between the Australian Defence Forces and  the Canadian Forces  –  reinforces the apparent success of  this contractor-assisted  UAV lease concept. That, in turn, seems to vindicate the approach of  Project Noctua  itself.  Like the CF,  the ADF  have experimented  with UAVs  for some time  as well as using  smaller, tactical  UAVs  operationally. This has included lease arrangements –  indeed, DND's mid-2008  lease deal with Boeing-Insitu  for ScanEagle SUAVs (Small UAVs)  for Afghanistan  may have been inspired by a similar 2007 arrangement  between the ADF and Boeing Australia for ScanEagle  mini UAVs deployed with the Australian Army to Iraq. Contractor-assisted  leases are viewed by some as not 'real' procurement. After all, the military ends up with no ownership of the 'assets'. Viewed from the opposite direction, the military has the use of a platform loaded with a fully modern sensor suite but there is no responsibility for upgrading obsolescing equipment. Ensuring that sensor suites remain up-to-date is down to the contractors. Not only are they highly motivated to do this (thereby ensuring the next contract), contractors also have the in-house expertise. At the most basic level, the contractor-assisted lease concept is vidicated quite simply because DND has been unable to complete procurement of  any  'owned' UAV system for their drawn-out JUSTAS program. The road to completing Project Noctua was also rocky.  Now Noctua's contractor-assisted  lease deal is providing a model to the world. [1] Australia has tested IAI Malat UAVs before, including a Heron TP for Coastwatch. The text of an Australian Department of  Defence news release and fact sheet follows: SENATOR JOHN FAULKNER Minister for Defence Monday, 7 September 2009 AIR FORCE TO BEGIN OPERATING ITS FIRST UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM Minister for  Defence,  Senator John Faulkner,  today  [ 6  Sept 2009, PST] announced that  the Royal Australian Air Force has acquired  Heron  Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in close collaboration  with  Canadian Defence forces. "This high resolution intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability will enhance the capability of Australian forces in Afghanistan," Senator Faulkner said. The Heron UAV is a one tonne aircraft capable of medium altitude, long endurance flights. Under Project NANKEEN [named after the Nankeen or Rufous Night Heron], the Defence Materiel Organisation has signed a contract with Canadian company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. to lease Heron UAV services which will provide high resolution intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability. The Australian Defence Force has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Canadian Forces which already operates Heron  UAVs in Afghanistan.  In July 2009 Royal Australian Air Force and Australian Army personnel undertook Heron training in Canada. These personnel have now been absorbed within a Canadian Heron UAV Detachment at Kandahar airfield conducting combat operations in support of  ISAF. This has meant the ADF has rapidly established its Heron capability by drawing on the Canadians' operational knowledge, experience and facilities. "The Australian Government greatly appreciates the assistance of the Canadian Defence Force in this project," Senator Faulkner said. When the systems acquired through the [ Project ] NANKEEN contract are delivered to Kandahar, Australia will establish its full Heron detachment of Air Force and Army personnel. "Air power of the future will involve a balance of manned and unmanned platforms. In particular a long endurance UAV can enhance force protection by pro- viding ground commanders with real time intelligence," Senator Faulkner said. "The experience that Air Force gains in operating long endurance UAVs in Afghani- stan will also help shape the development of unmanned Defence capabilities for Australia through the next decade," Senator Faulkner said. Heron can conduct operations in excess of 24 hours, with a maximum speed of more than 100 knots (180 km/h) and at altitudes of up to 10,000 metres. This leading edge technology is operationally proven and provides Australia with an essential capability. It also allows Australian Defence Industry involvement, with companies including Geospatial Intelligence, Carbine Security Installations and Fujitsu Australia. HERON  Unmanned Aerial System  –  Fact sheet The Royal Australian Air Force will operate the Heron Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) in Afghanistan for a number of tasks including:   •  Surveillance   •  Reconnaissance   •  Security and escort   •  Battle damage assessment The Heron UAS includes a number of different elements. The major components are the Air Vehicle, Payloads, the Ground Control Station (GCS), and the Processing and Dissemination Suite. Air Vehicle (AV) The Heron is a medium altitude long endurance UAS with the ability to conduct operations in excess of 24 hours at altitudes of up to 10,000 metres, with a maximum speed of more than 180 km/h. The AV cannot be seen or heard when it is at normal operating altitudes. The AV has a wingspan of 16.6 metres, a length of 8.5 metres and a maximum take-off weight of more than 1 tonne. The Heron navigates using Global Positioning System (GPS), and also has a backup capability to enable operations in a GPS-denied environ- ment. Payloads The Heron carries a combination of sensors which communicate with the ground control station in real-time. Multiple sensors can be used simultaneously.