Australia military looks at long-range Triton patrol drone

Australia is set to buy up to $3 billion worth of long-range maritime patrol drones and said on Thursday it had asked close ally the United States for detailed information and costings on the U.S. Navy's MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft.

Australia wants to buy "unmanned aircraft capable of undertaking broad area maritime surveillance and fleet overwatch", Defence Minister Stephen Smith said, with the Triton already at the top of the military's wish list.

The Northrop Grumman Triton, which is the size of a small airliner with a 40-metre wingspan, costs around $100 million and can cruise at 20,000 metres for up to 30 hours.

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