AIR 7003 Phase 1, which formed part of the Integrated Investment Program (IIP), aimed to deliver persistent airborne intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, electronic warfare and precision strike capability for the land and littoral environments.

The government had already spent approximately $10 million on the program, which secured approval for up to 12 aircraft from the US State Department in April last year. 

Local industry was expected to provide a range of sensor, communication, manufacturing and life-cycle support capabilities to support the development of the unmanned aircraft.

A Defence spokesperson has told Defence Connect that the SkyGuardian project has been scrapped following advice from Defence officials, with government deciding to reallocate funds for Project REDSPICE (Resilience, Effects, Defence, Space, Intelligence, Cyber, and Enablers) — a $9.9 billion investment over the next decade in the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD).

Of the $4.2 billion committed for REDSPICE over the forward estimates, just $588.7 million is new funding. 

Other funds reallocated from the IIP include prior commitments to ASD projects, which have been subsumed within REDSPICE, and a $236 million ICT remediation and modernisation initiative.  

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Defence is also drawing from both approved and unapproved funds from the SEA 1000 project.

[Related: Budget 2022-23 released, Defence strategy unveiled]

Charbel Kadib

News Editor – Defence and Security, Momentum Media

Prior to joining the defence and aerospace team in 2020, Charbel was news editor of The Adviser and Mortgage Business, where he covered developments in the banking and financial services sector for three years. Charbel has a keen interest in geopolitics and international relations, graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in politics and journalism. Charbel has also completed internships with The Australian Department of Communications and the Arts and public relations agency Fifty Acres.