A six-week trial of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Australia's northern waters is providing an added layer of protection against border threats, the Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus said today.

The Border Protection Command is basing its trial of the UAV at Weipa in far north Queensland to assess the technology for potential use in civil maritime surveillance.

The aircraft is a mid-range 'Heron' model operated by Israel Aerospace Industries. It is 8.5m long with a wingspan of 16.6m and has a range of more than 1800km.

Mr Debus said the aircraft had flown successfully over the Gulf of Carpentaria, Torres Strait and the Great Barrier Reef during the trials.

"All are areas of interest to Border Protection Command in preventing illegal foreign fishing, keeping a watch for quarantine and border threats and detecting prohibited activities in protected marine areas.

"UAVs are quiet, virtually undetectable and can maintain extended surveillance of a target area or vessel for many hours at a time," Mr Debus said.

Live radar, vessel information, video and photographs from the UAV are transmitted to a temporary ground station in Weipa. This information is then provided to the BPC National Surveillance Centre in Canberra.

The data is shared with agencies including the Australian Fisheries Management Authority and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Responses are then mounted to any sightings of suspicious foreign or domestic vessels that may be illegally fishing, or engaged in other prohibited activities.

"Piloted aircraft, helicopters and satellite technology are already available to help protect our borders and are in round-the-clock use by the Command," Mr Debus said.

"This trial will assess the suitability of UAVs to boost surveillance of critical offshore maritime areas, including the vital Torres Strait border region and the environmentally sensitive Great Barrier Reef."

The Border Protection Command will prepare a report for the Government following the end of the trial in June.

Media Contact:
Samantha Wills 0448 721 372

Note to editors:
Photographs of the UAV are available in the media image gallery.