How prepared is Australia for drone warfare?

This week on ABC’s The Radio National Hour, Dr Ian Langford and Michael Horowitz joined Fran Kelly to discuss how drone warfare is reshaping modern conflict.

The discussion explored how Ukraine’s use of low-cost, adaptable drones has transformed the battlefield, with some estimates suggesting 60 to 70% of casualties are now drone-related.

Langford’s contribution focused on what this means for Australia: this is not an “either/or” choice between high-end platforms and low-cost drones, it is both.

He argued Australia must treat drones as consumables, “something that we manufacture in the thousands, if not the millions,” and build a sovereign industrial system that can scale rapidly. Generating mass at scale, integrating AI-enabled autonomy, and aligning industry with defence needs are essential if Australia is to be effective in future conflict. As he put it, this is a whole-of-nation challenge.

Listen here: How prepared is Australia for drone warfare?