Australia has agreed to purchase up to 50 military drones from US defence contractor General Atomics to provide overhead coverage for Australian soldiers and conduct remote airstrikes . Loading Malcolm Davis, a military expert at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the Reapers would be a first step towards an increasing use of armed drones – also known as unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs. Defence Minister John Pyne said the unmanned aircraft , which has a flight time of 27 hours and is bigger than its predecessor the Predator , would give the Australian military the capability to stay in the sky for longer without risking aircrew safety . At a cost of 25 m ( $ 16.8 m ) each , the whole contract will be worth at least 50 m when extras are factored in .
Australia has agreed to purchase up to 50 military drones from US defence contractor General Atomics to provide overhead coverage for Australian soldiers and conduct remote airstrikes . Defence Minister John Pyne said the unmanned aircraft , which has a flight time of 27 hours and is bigger than its predecessor the Predator , would give the Australian military the capability to stay in the sky for longer without risking aircrew safety . At a cost of 25 m ( $ 16.8 m ) each , the whole contract will be worth at least 50 m when extras are factored in .