by Andrew Brown of AAP in Canberra

Australia will provide maritime drones to Fiji’s military in a bid to bolster security in the Pacific.

The Australian-made Bluebottle vessels will be gifted as part of a military partnership between the two countries.

The Bluebottle drones can provide reconnaissance and surveillance and can stay at sea for more than 180 days, powered by renewable energy.

The drones will be given to Fiji as part of the Waqa Moana partnership, a Pacific-led security initiative to counter organised crime and drug trafficking in the region.

Australia pledged $600 million at the Pacific Islands Forum in September to help implement the partnership.

It’s expected the Bluebottle drones will be made available to Fiji in early 2027.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the drones would further strengthen ties with Pacific partners.

“This Bluebottle partnership demonstrates how Australian innovation can deliver real-world outcomes for our neighbours and the wider region,” he said.

“(This) will strengthen Fiji’s maritime surveillance capabilities while supporting our collective efforts to combat transnational crime.”

It follows Australia and Fiji signing the Ocean of Peace Treaty in July, which is a mutual defence pact.

It was just the fourth alliance Australia has signed – the others being with the US, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. It is Fiji’s first.

The Bluebottle partnership coincides with the opening of a manufacturing hub in Sydney for Ocius, the makers of the Bluebottles.

The federal government in March signed a $176 million agreement to buy 40 more of the maritime drones for the navy, bringing the total in the fleet to 55.

Bluebottles have been used by the navy from the HMAS Coonawarra in Darwin as part of border security measures.