The Royal Australian Navy’s first Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Squadron will be commissioned on Thursday (October 25) in a formal ceremony at HMAS Albatross.
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The commissioning ceremony will recognise and mark the formal transition from a unit to a squadron
The new unit will be known as 822X Squadron, with the home of navy’s UAS to be at the Nowra air station, HMAS Albatross.
It will be Australia’s first squadron to use the ‘X’ nomenclature, reflecting the experimental and developmental nature of the squadron.
The squadron will fly the Insitu ScanEagle and Schiebel S-100 Camcopter as precursors to an enduring maritime tactical UAS capability that will regularly deploy in support of maritime operations, primarily in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance roles.
Modern militaries have embraced the strategic and tactical advantages offered by operating unmanned platforms over the past decade, with the Nowra unit created in 2011.
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Typically used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, the unmanned aircraft have a vast array of other capabilities, including as communication relays, combat search, electronic attack, target designation, hyperspectral analysis and ocean mapping.
Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Mike Noonan and Commander Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Jonathan Mead will both attend the ceremony along the first Commanding Officer 822X Squadron, Commander Mick Rainey.
822X Squadron’s motto will appropriately be - “See the Enemy”.
In May 2016, the RAN completed first-of-class flight trial for its ScanEagle unmanned aircraft system from HMAS Choules.
Navy has also been investigating flying the Schiebel S-100 Camcopters since 2015.
One of the $1 million contractor supplied drones crashed on the Beecroft Weapons Range, east of Nowra in March last year after suffering a mechanical failure. The crash caused a small bushfire which burnt out two hectares of heathland.