About 130 military, government and industry representatives began a two-day conference sessions here, part of the Asia pacific UAV conference and exhibition designed to probe the state of UAS developments across he region. Sessions are ranging widely, and from the host nation aspect emphasized the way Australia is now building on conceptual structures in the UAS field. A new and more comprehensive document – a roadmap (which almost certainly will spawn a series of others) will soon be ready for internal consumption within the Australian defence community, said Dr Peter Maguire speaking on behalf of the Joint UAS planning team within the Australian DoD. Maguire’s work is more far-reaching than earlier work, and is, he said, keenly anticipated by industry both within and outside the country – groups he admits have been denied firm objectives for UAS development so far. He anticipates briefing the document within the next two or three months. Michelle Yeaman, from Booz Allen and Hamilton’s Australian operation - in a thoughtful presentation – said the arrival of UAV systems in an Australian context could have broad ‘cultural’ outcomes for national defence going beyond the technological implications only. Specifically, she saw these having an impact in two main areas: innovation and de-centralisation of the data sharing and intelligence function.

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