In a recent Defence-run competition at Victoria Barracks, members of the Australian Army were brought together for the Rise of the Drones and War of the Machines challenge, underscoring a deliberate shift towards increasing Defence’s capabilities to assemble, operate and adapt drone technology.
Working off the Battle Lab MakerSpace training model, teams were assessed on practical skills like building first-person view drones (FPV), operating uncrewed ground vehicles, troubleshooting faults and executing tasks under time pressure.
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The competition concluded with 161 new qualified FPV drone pilots and 98 uncrewed ground vehicle operators, marking a significant achievement for the Army’s growing capabilities.
“We’re clearly seeing that robotics and automated systems are reshaping how militaries fight, so activities like Rise of the Drones and War of the Machines are part of how the Army rapidly adapts at the forward edge,” said Commander Battle Lab Colonel Pete Allan.
A competitor in the competition, Captain Jesse Wood, noted how the training was not only insightful but highly relevant to the global, changing nature of warfare.
“The course stepped us through UAV fundamentals, flight characteristics, basic controls and customising the software and settings. We also spent time in simulation before our first flight.”
“There are lessons to be learned from Ukraine and the Middle East. Innovating in the FPV space is critical.”
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