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The Royal Canadian Air Force’s Joint Unmanned Surveillance and Target Acquisition System or JUSTAS is currently in the options analysis phase, the RCAF announced Tuesday.

Some might not consider that news. JUSTAS was endorsed by the military’s Senior Review Board in October 2000. The examination of uninhabited aerial vehicles for Canada has been ongoing since 2001.

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In 2007 the Canadian Forces noted that JUSTAS had officially entered its options analysis phase. Options analysis allows departmental senior management to make informed decision on the best way to implement a project. During this phase, options are formulated, cost and benefits assessed, and a business case for the options developed.

So, a decade (or more depending on your point of view) that process is still going on.

But progress has been made, according to the military. For instance, JUSTAS is getting a name change. It is now known as the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) project. The project has the same goals – to purchase a UAV/RPAS fleet. “This (name) change is consistent with recent changes in the lexicon and classification systems of our allies, and is a more accurate reflection of how the systems are operated,” the RCAF stated Tuesday.