ADF to introduce billion-dollar drone dome over Brisbane 2032
The federal government will spend $1.3 billion on new counter-drone measures over the next decade, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy announced in Brisbane on Tuesday – and he expects the technology to be deployed when the city hosts the Olympic Games in 2032.
Speaking to a Queensland Media Club lunch at South Brisbane, Conroy said the counter-drone acquisitions would be part of the Australian Defence Force’s Project Land 156, which was fast-tracking the technology’s integration into service, in what he called a “continuous modernisation model”.
“The government will announce further counter-drone acquisitions in the near future as part of Land 156, including contracts for a system integration partner for the continuous delivery of counter-drone capability,” he said.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy speaking in Brisbane on Tuesday.Credit: Cameron Atfield
“This will include command and control capability and advanced counter-drone sensors and effectors, giving the ADF more options to protect Australian Defence bases.”
But Conroy said the $1.3 billion spend went beyond protecting Defence assets – he expected the measures to be deployed in Australian cities.
“Under Land 156, there is also a minimum interoperability requirement to enable Defence counter-drone capabilities to be deployed to assist civil society,” he said.
“We’re writing into the contracts and the submissions around this capability that they have interoperability with civilian uses, so they can be used in conjunction with the state government to protect sites engaged in the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.”
Conroy said the ADF had watched the use of drones in the Ukraine war with great interest.
“We’ve observed that when it comes to drones, the cycle of adaptation and counter-adaptation is around three to six months, so through Land 156, the ADF will continually upgrade and refresh capabilities to address emerging drone threats,” he said.
“This is a rolling effort, which means that the investment doesn’t stop, the technology development cycle doesn’t stop, and the Australian defence industry has the security of policy and the funding to keep developing this incredibly important technology.”
A Ghost Bat combat drone at RAAF Base Amberley in 2022.Credit: James Brickwood
Conroy said the ADF would also ramp up its offensive drone capabilities, with an immediate focus on the Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat – the first military aircraft to be designed, engineered and manufactured in Australia in more than half a century.
“Australia leads the world in this technology, which teams drones with crewed aircraft, allowing the drones to work together with each other and with the crewed aircraft as one team to achieve the mission,” he said.
“The technology is in the early stages of adoption by air forces around the world.
“Ghost Bat and other drones in the future that the Air Force is working on right now will function like a smartphone, to be upgraded often with new and advanced features.
“They have the potential to fundamentally change the way the Air Force operates, to make it an even more formidable deterrent.”
Conroy said the Ghost Bat would undergo air-to-air missile testing this year.
“We are working closely with Boeing Defence Australia to ensure we take advantage of any export opportunities, because we want to entrench and enhance the skill base we’ve already created here in Queensland in this ground-breaking technology,” he said.
“If we take it to the next stage, which is full production, it will be built right here in Queensland.”
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.