According to Defence, the drone — a scaled-down version of the RAN’s current seaboat — can autonomously patrol incident areas, with the video footage streamed in real-time to a ship for viewing by command.

The drone is designed to be used for a range of critical incident responses, including a man overboard incident, patrolling naval waters, intercepting and interrogating trespassing vessels and towing targets for live firing.

The land-based prototype is made from plywood and fibre-glass and propelled by a 3D-printed water-cooled brushless motor, made at the Centre for Innovation at Fleet Base East.

“Being able to produce these components through these emerging technologies has allowed the robotics club to test designs in conjunction with safety considerations and refine the final product,” head of the robotics club, Chief Petty Officer Electronics Technician Allan Winning, said.

“This has allowed us to move forward in implementing this system to display at this year’s Autonomous Warrior event.”

[Related: DroneShield receives first order under EU Police contract]

Charbel Kadib

Author

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.

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