Australia Says Military Is Training With U.S. Reaper Drones

Australia has given a strong indication it is considering buying armed American-made drones of the type used against insurgents in Afghanistan and Syria, announcing its military has already begun training to fly the weapons.

Just days after the U.S. government said it would allow the sale of its drones to military allies, Australia’s conservative government on Monday said the country’s air force had already commenced training aircrew and support staff in the U.S. on the MQ-9 ’Reaper’ drone.

“It would be remiss of Australia not to continue to develop our knowledge of this technology to ensure we are able to gain the greatest benefit from unmanned aerial systems and the best protection for our troops on future operations,” said Darren Chester, a junior minister to Australia’s Defense Minister Kevin Andrews.

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