Key Takeaways
- The Australian military is adopting lessons from the war in Ukraine, where drones have played a central role in modern warfare.
- The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is investing $1.3 billion in advanced drone-killing technologies to fast-track delivery and protect troops and equipment.
- The ADF is testing various counter-drone technologies, including kinetic and non-kinetic systems, to detect and destroy drones.
- The initiative, known as Project Land 156, is one of Australia’s fastest acquisitions, with drone-hunting equipment to be rolled out to the army within months.
- The government is investing in an array of technologies, rather than betting on a single platform, to keep up with the rapid evolution of drone and counter-drone technologies.
Introduction to Drone Warfare
The dusty ochre plains of rural South Australia are a world away from Ukraine, which is entering its fourth frigid winter of fighting since Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of the country. However, the Australian military is putting the lessons from war in Eastern Europe into practice at the Cultana training area, four hours’ drive from Adelaide. The biggest revolution from the war in Ukraine has undeniably been the central role that drones play in modern warfare. Ukraine churns out an estimated 4 million drones a year, up from about 800,000 two years ago. About three-quarters of Russian casualties in the war are now attributed to drones, which Ukraine has used to sink several prized Russian warships and destroy fighter jets.
The Importance of Counter-Drone Capabilities
Australian companies are among the world leaders in uncrewed aerial vehicle technology, but military analysts have long criticized the Australian Defence Force for being sluggish to enter the drone age. Bespoke, crewed platforms – such as submarines, fighter jets, frigates, and tanks – have dominated Australian military planning and defence spending. The rapid advances in offensive drone technology in Ukraine have sparked equally impressive developments in counter-drone capabilities – that is, the technology used to defend against drone attacks. As well as lacking armed drones, the ADF has had disturbingly little protection against drone attacks on its troops, bases, and expensive military equipment.
The $1.3 Billion Program
In February, the Albanese government launched a $1.3 billion program to fast-track the delivery of advanced drone-killing technologies to the ADF. On Thursday, the army simulated using these technologies against a drone attack at the Cultana Training Area, between Port Augusta and Whyalla. Among the technologies on trial was VAMPIRE (Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletised ISR Rocket Equipment), which has been used to great effect by the Ukrainian army to repel Russian drone attacks. Developed by American firm L3Harris, this uses laser-guided rockets to shoot down approaching drones. From atop a Hawkei armoured 4WD, the VAMPIRE successfully shoots down an approaching drone that is invisible to the naked eye.
The Various Counter-Drone Technologies
A different system, using a mini-gun affixed to a Hawkei, also successfully repels its target. Other technologies on display are hand-held, used by soldiers to target drones much as they would with a conventional rifle or machine gun. Systems such as the VAMPIRE are labelled kinetic, meaning they physically shoot down approaching drones. Others are non-kinetic, freezing and disabling targets by using jamming technologies. At Cultana, we watch a jammed drone freeze and suddenly fall from the sky without physical contact, as if its batteries had died. Ukrainian soldiers have used “drone guns” to great effect to shoot down Russian drones. The Sugar V, an ultra-lightweight passive drone detector that has been used by Ukrainian forces, is among the technologies bought for the ADF.
The Rollout of Drone-Hunting Equipment
The sensors being acquired by the army can detect drones up to 5 kilometres away; the rockets can bring them down from 2.5km away, mini-guns from 1.5km. Some of the technologies are bought from overseas, but others are Australian, among them the anti-drone Slinger that has been deployed in Ukraine. Adelaide company Acacia Systems has been contracted to provide the command-and-control set-up for the counter-drone program. Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy describes the initiative – known in army parlance as Project Land 156 – as one of Australia’s fastest acquisitions. After these successful trials, drone-hunting equipment will be rolled out to the army within months.
The Government’s Approach to Defence Acquisitions
Conroy stresses that the government is investing in an array of technologies, rather than betting on a single platform. With drone and counter-drone technologies evolving so rapidly, it would not be prudent to lock the ADF into tech that could soon be rendered redundant. Reflecting the transformative nature of drone warfare, legislative change has been needed to ensure the ADF can legally respond to potential attacks. Conroy argues that the threat of drone attacks must be taken seriously, and the Australian continent is bigger than Ukraine and “surrounded by a moat”. However, the threat of drone attacks is real, and the government is taking a proactive approach to addressing it.
The Future of Drone Warfare
Major General Richard Vagg, the army’s head of capability, agrees that drones have changed the character of war. Consequently, the ADF must have an ability to detect and destroy drones at every level of its organisation. Australia’s network of army, navy, and air force bases is the obvious priority for urgent fortification against drone attacks. So is such expensive equipment as the army’s new Abrams tanks, which currently lack counter-drone protection. Counter-drone technologies also will have civilian applications, including protecting major events – football grand finals and the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, for example. The government is mandating that Defence’s counter-drone contracts include civilian capabilities to shield Olympic sites from attack.
Conclusion
The rising threat of drones provides an asymmetric threat to all forces, and it’s a very difficult technology to keep up with. The race to defeat the drones is on, and the Australian government is taking a proactive approach to addressing it. With the rollout of drone-hunting equipment to the army within months, the ADF will be better equipped to detect and destroy drones. The government’s investment in an array of technologies, rather than betting on a single platform, will ensure that the ADF remains agile and adaptable in the face of rapidly evolving drone and counter-drone technologies. As the character of war continues to change, the Australian military must be prepared to change quickly to protect its troops and equipment.
