Australia's high-tech Triton military surveillance drones have a refurbished home after a $355 million upgrade at an outback air force base.
The revamp of RAAF Base Tindal, near Katherine in the Northern Territory, includes a purpose-built hangar for the fleet of four US-made MQ-4C Tritons tasked with long-range maritime reconnaissance missions.
Assistant Defence Minister Peter Khalil officially opened the Triton facility upgrade on Wednesday, saying it will help boost defence coverage across northern Australia.
The Triton fleet is based at Tindal but will be remotely operated by the newly reformed Number 9 Squadron at RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia.
One of the key roles of the unarmed and pilotless aircraft is to monitor shipping routes amid growing strategic rivalry in the Indo-Pacific.
"The completion of these facilities at Tindal is a critical step in strengthening our northern defence capability and is yet another example of our commitment to deliver the priorities outlined in the 2024 National Defence Strategy," Mr Khalil said.
The project also deepened Australia's co-operative program with the US Navy by ensuring the two nations' forces could operate seamlessly together to support regional stability, he said.
"Investing in critical infrastructure and advanced capabilities across our northern bases is critical to ensuring Australia is ready to face whatever challenges arise in the future."
Since 2022, the federal government had invested more than $2.8 billion in strengthening the ADF's presence across northern Australia, Mr Khalil said.
Remote piloting of the Tritons enables long-endurance missions that cannot be matched by air crews.
The large drones can fly for 24 hours, have a range of 15,000km and top speed of about 600km/h.
