Australia will spend $A7billion on drones that can be airborne for more than a day and hunt enemy submarines, sharing their surveillance information with Five Eyes allies including New Zealand.
Australia is buying the spy planes from the giant US military company Northrop Grumman. Photo: Australian Air Force
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the government would be spending $A1.4bn on the first of the six remotely controlled planes.
The first of the new Triton drones would not be in operation for another five years, but after that the South China Sea was expected to be a prime target for the long-range, high-tech planes.
Their long-range design means they will be able to sweep well into the Indian and Pacific Oceans to detect foreign naval ships, illegal fishing or people-smuggling boats.
They will also be able to reach as far south as the Antarctic.
"It is very important for us to know who is operating in our area and therefore be able to respond if necessary to any threats," Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne said.
He said the Tritons would continue Australia's capacity to monitor South-East Asia and the South China Sea.
"Australia insists on its right to be able to travel through the South China Sea in international waters as we have always done, whether that is with surface ships or with aircraft," Mr Pyne said.
The US Navy will help with development of drones.
The full fleet of six Tritons is due to be in operation by late 2025.
The information the planes gather will be shared with Australia's allies the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand.
They will all be based at the RAAF base in Edinburgh, South Australia, and they are designed to operate closely with the US military.
The Tritons do not carry weapons because they are designed purely for surveillance.
The 2016 Defence White Paper included a plan for seven Triton drones, but the Government's announcement today is for only six.
Australia is buying the spy planes from the giant US military company Northrop Grumman.
The deal includes a $A200 million joint program with the US Navy for the development, production and maintenance of the Tritons.
- ABC