21st Congress of International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, Melbourne, Australia, 13-18 September, 1998
Paper ICAS-98-3.7.5

UAVS OVER AUSTRALIA: CAPABILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Wong K. C., Bil C.
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia

Keywords: uav, australia

It is generally accepted in the global aerospace industry that technologies required for autonomous capabilities for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are mature enough for more widespread use. Market surveys predict a significant increase in UAV usage over the next five years, when the strong growth in the military applications market would start to settle, while the market for civilian UAV applications is predicted to grow significantly. In the Australian context, the CSIRO Office of Space Science and Applications (COSSA) sponsored the inaugural national Symposium on Drone Technology and Use in late 1996. The meeting presented a means of gathering and sharing data on research and development for UAVs in Australia, while exploring potential applications in the scientific, academic, telecommunications, and remote sensing communities. The meeting further illustrated impending high activity in research and development of UAVs for specific applications. One 'outcome of the national UAV symposium was that it prompted the Aerospace Technology Forum, an Australian federal government initiative to strengthen the linkages between Australia's major research institutions and aerospace industries, to initiate a study on the UAV market in Australia. This paper presents a partial summary of the outcomes of the study. It highlights the major findings and pose recommendations with regard to: the potential of UAV applications in Australia; the capability of the research activities and manufacturing industries to support UAV developments.

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