TEHRAN An Unnamed spy plane was on target to land in Adelaide late Monday and complete an historical 23-hour flight from the U.S., a report from Adelaide, Australia said yesterday

The global hawk reconnaissance jet will become the first such aircraft to cross the Pacific Ocean.

Australian Defense Force Spokesman Darryl Johnston said the 13,840-kilometer (8,580-mile) flight had gone according to plan.

Although it was unmanned, the pre-programed plane was not pilotless, he said.

"The plane is monitored from mission control here at Edinburgh Air Force base and from California's Edwards Air Force base," he said.

The plane, powered by Rolls Royce engines, was flying at 19,500 meters (64,350 feet), well above other air traffic and any bad weather.

The global hawk's wings are longer than a Boeing 737's and droop under the seven tons of fuel that accounts for 60 percent of the aircraft's weight.

A bulbous nose that houses antenna 1.2 meter in diameter gives it an awkward look.

In Australia, global hawk will fly about 12 sorties during combined military exercises.

Australia is interested in using the plane to patrol its northern coast, according to AFP.

The plane has been renamed Southern Cross II in honor the first aircraft to fly from the United States to Australia. The original southern cross, a three-engine Fokker that departed from Oakland, California, made the trip in several legs in 1928.

If the global hawk flight is successful, it will be the furthest a robotic aircraft has flown between two points.