New Zealand

Defence Ministry seeks commercial drone operator for maritime surveillance

New Zealand's Defence Ministry is seeking a commercial drone operator to conduct twice-weekly surveillance flights across the nation's maritime domain from 2029.

Skinny McBuntu

The Ministry of Defence has issued a request for information from long-range, remotely-piloted unmanned aerial vehicle operators. The aim is to establish persistent surveillance operations across New Zealand's maritime domain, with commercial operators conducting six-hour missions covering distances up to 1400 nautical miles. Operations are expected to begin from 2029.

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BusinessDesk

Defence considers contracting commercial long-range drone operator

The Ministry of Defence may contract a commercial surveillance drone operator to run twice-weekly flights across New Zealand’s maritime domain. The ministry on Thursday issued a request for information from long-range, remotely-piloted unmanned aerial vehicle system (UAS) operators, with the…

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Newsroom

Defence Force eyes long-range drones to watch foreign forces in Pacific

Commercial operators would fly six-hour surveillance missions up to 1400 nautical miles as part of ‘persistent surveillance’ plans

Read the full story at Newsroom