Australia plans to spend €511 million over the next decade on the purchase of helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles to bolster Australia’s national interests, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced today. At the same time, four new mobile stations of its forces will be created on the frozen continent, strengthening the strategic and scientific possibilities of Australia, as the Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison emphasized in his statements.
“The money we are investing will enable us to explore areas in the interior of East Antarctica that no country has been able to reach to date,” Morrison said in a statement.
Environment Minister Susan Leigh said in a statement that the funding would ensure that Antarctica would remain a place for science and the protection of the natural environment “beyond conflict and protected from exploitation”. Australia’s actions come at a time when China is trying to increase its presence in Antarctica. A report by the Lowy Institute last year noted China’s interest in benefiting economically and potentially militarily from Antarctica, and that Beijing is becoming “escalating aggressively” especially on catches.
Unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as other technological surveillance equipment, will create “an Antarctic eye” with interconnected sensors and cameras that record real-time information, according to Morrison. Four new helicopters with a range of 550 km will be purchased, while they will be able to operate from the ice-breaking ship of Australia “Nuyina.”
The investment, through the above-mentioned costs, will help support local jobs, with Australian businesses benefiting from the local procurement market, according to the Australian Prime Minister, who is behind the polls just a few months before the launch. of federal elections.
Australia’s action in Antarctica during the current period includes four permanent research stations on the ground, as well as in its underwater environment. It is worth noting that a large part of Antarctica – 42% – is claimed by Australia.
