News Review: JP129 - at last! | ADM Jun 2010

1 June 2010

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress in early-May of a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Australia of two RQ-7B SHADOW 200 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), and associated equipment, parts, and logistical support for an estimated cost of $218 million.

These will be acquired under Joint Project 129 - Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

Australia's letter of request includes four Ground Control Stations, support equipment, spare and repair parts, tools and test equipment, technical data and publications, personnel training and training equipment, US government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support.

The FMS request had been expected for some time following the cancellation of Defence's original JP129 contract with Boeing Defence Australia Ltd.

This was terminated in 2008 and Defence said it would seek an off the shelf design "as a matter of urgency".

ADM understands that a DMO project team toured North American, European and Israeli TUAV manufacturers in December 2008, then the program went quiet.