MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A committee in the upper house of the Australian parliament approved the acquisition of armed drones by the Australian Defense Force, in a report submitted to the parliament on Thursday.
"A policy statement governing the deployment of armed unmanned platforms should be clearly articulated by the Australian government," the report read, according to Australian news agency AAP.
The report said that an upcoming Force Structure Review may provide for obtaining armed unmanned aircraft by the country.
The Australian Defense Force has used a number of surveillance drones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Plans by the military to acquire armed drones are currently on hold due to disputes surrounding the extensive use of the lethal aircraft by the United States, according to the news agency.
