When Australian special forces soldiers in Afghanistan went outside the wire in pursuit of a Taliban commander or a weapons cache, they knew someone was watching over them.
The Heron team that operated Israeli-made surveillance drones out of Kandahar were an "eye in the sky" for the soldiers on the ground. On Monday they will be recognised for their contribution to saving Australian lives while also pioneering the Australian military use of remotely piloted aircraft with a meritorious unit citation. 
In all, 63 individual and two unit honours will be appointed to Australian defence force personnel.
Wing Commander Matthew Bowers, the commanding officer of the unit, said the Heron could stay up for 24 hours, starting its mission before ground troops moved in. "If they did come under threat or were engaged, we were able to give them clear exit routes, identify where the threat was and where they had to focus their efforts."
The citation goes to the roughly 450 people who went through the Heron detachment. Wing Commander Bowers stressed that it recognises the "smart men and women" who took raw data and turned it into something that soldiers and commanders could use.
"It wasn't the technology, it was those who were operating the technology which really made the difference," he said.
Other honours go to ADF personnel for a range of achievements including improving methods of countering booby-trap bombs, stopping piracy and drug shipments off Africa, reforming Defence's internal culture, running the UN mission in South Sudan and improving drone targeting technology.
The mission against Islamic State in Iraq has also featured strongly. An officer from the 2nd Commando Regiment, identified only as Major K, is receiving the Distinguished Service Medal for helping the Iraqi special forces recapture territory in western Iraq from IS last year.
The head of the air campaign against IS for the first half of 2015, Group Captain Glen Braz, also receives the DSM.
Major-General David Mulhall, who headed Australian forces in Afghanistan, receives the Distinguished Service Cross.