Above: RF-4N Global Hawk could be Australia's HALE UAV.

The Australian Defence Force is on the threshold of identifying its future HALE UAV capability, and even though its introduction is still a fair way off, Defence is keeping a close eye on global developments.
Project Air 7000 Phase 1B aims to acquire such a capability to complement the planned introduction of the Boeing P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft, ultimately replacing Australia's existing AP-3C Orion aircraft.
An important step towards the future is the deployment of a Medium Altitude Long Endurance capability to support ADF operations in Afghanistan. Most importantly, the operation of the Heron MALE systems in theatre is conducted by Air Force as well as Army personnel. While the Army has operated hand-launched Skylark and catapult-launched ScanEagle tactical UAVs in Afghanistan and in Iraq for several years, this is the first time the RAAF has been involved in unmanned operations on such a scale.
HALE capability for AIR 7000 has slipped to somewhere beyond 2019, but there has been discussion that such platforms could be operated by civilian agencies to patrol Australia's North-West Shelf and provide early warning of illegal immigration attempts.
In January 2007, Australia signed an agreement with the United States to participate in the US Navy's Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) program, which aimed to replace the current P-3C Orion Maritime Patrol Aircraft in a two-tiered approach, combining a manned aircraft and a large UAV capable of patrolling vast areas of ocean with greater persistence than their manned counterpart.
The broadly similar AIR 7000 project intends to acquire both manned and unmanned platforms to fulfil similar roles, which have broadened considerably into a littoral Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capability with an important overland surveillance dimension. Phase 1B of this project is concerned with the acquisition of such a HALE UAV and an investment of $1.5 billion was originally anticipated.
Phase 2B, now somewhat closer may opt for the P-8A Poseidon to fill the manned requirement.
The original timetable called for an in-service date of 2013 and Initial Operating Capability to follow two years later. Full Operating Capability was planned to occur in 2017. However, in March last year the Defence Minister announced that Australia would not proceed to the next stage of the BAMS partnership, saying that introducing an advanced new UAV would cause workforce pressures so close to the planned P-8A introduction.