Australia awards contracts for counter-drone tech based on lasers, interceptors

MANILA — Australian defense leaders have pledged to spend big money on drone defenses, as unmanned technology has exposed a new Achilles’ heel in militaries around the world.

Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said the plan is to “more than double the funding that we’re allocating to counter-drone defenses,” to the tune of A$7 billion.

These figures – $5 billion in U.S. dollars – emanate from the Integrated Investment Program (IIP) released by Canberra on Apr. 16.

As the Australian Defence Force (ADF) seeks weapons able to count medium-sized drones and small-drone swarms when deploying overseas or to protect domestic infrastructure, Conroy touted two development contracts on Apr. 21.

AIM Defence was awarded an A$21.3 million contract for its Fractl laser system, whilst Sypaq Systems received a A$10.4 million deal to develop an interceptor drone.

The fourth-generation Fractl is a portable, high-energy laser system able to track a dime-sized object at speeds exceeding 100km/h, and powerful enough to burn through steel.

The funding will enable AIM Defence to enhance Fractl’s capability and combat readiness to counter individual and swarms of drones.

As for Sypaq, the Department of Defence said it will “develop the Corvo Strike, an interceptor drone designed to track, target and destroy larger drones now commonly employed on battlefields.” This winged interceptor powered by four propellers is also a loitering munition.

Both products will eventually integrate into a command-and-control system being developed under the Army’s umbrella Land 156 counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) program.

Conroy’s A$7 billion “for drone defenses” also includes diverse capabilities like naval missiles, the NASAMS air defense system, a new medium-range air defense system and upgrades to fighters, for example.

Dedicated counter-drone systems are just one of seven categories listed in the IIP. That document mentioned the “acquisition and introduction of dismounted and vehicle-mounted systems to protect deployed forces from low-altitude aerial threats, including uncrewed air systems and helicopters.”

The two contracts worth a combined A$31.7 million pale in comparison to the A$3.9 billion going toward AUKUS submarines this year alone. Furthermore, they are only development contracts, so the Fractl and Corvo Strike are not yet ready for widespread fielding.

“With the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East showing how uncrewed aerial systems are increasingly being employed in conflict, the development of sovereign counter-drone solutions is essential to ensure the ADF can detect, assess and respond to these threats,” Conroy stated.

Ukraine is expected to produce an estimated 4.5 million drones and counter-drone systems in 2026.

Gordon Arthur is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. After a 20-year stint working in Hong Kong, he now resides in New Zealand. He has attended military exercises and defense exhibitions in about 20 countries around the Asia-Pacific region.

马尼拉——澳大利亚国防领导人承诺在无人机防御方面投入巨资，因为无人技术暴露了世界各国军队的新弱点。

国防工业部长帕特·康罗伊表示，该计划是“将我们分配给反无人机防御的资金增加一倍以上”，达到70亿澳元。

这些数字——50亿美元——来自堪培拉于4月16日发布的综合投资计划（IIP）。

澳大利亚国防军 (ADF) 正在寻求能够统计中型无人机和小型无人机群的武器，以便在海外部署或保护国内基础设施时使用。4 月 21 日，康罗伊大力宣传了两项开发合同。

AIM Defence公司凭借其Fractl激光系统获得了一份价值2130万澳元的合同，而Sypaq Systems公司则获得了一份价值1040万澳元的合同，用于开发拦截无人机。

第四代 Fractl 是一款便携式高能激光系统，能够以超过 100 公里/小时的速度跟踪硬币大小的物体，并且威力足以烧穿钢铁。

这笔资金将使 AIM Defence 能够增强 Fractl 的能力和作战准备，以对抗单个和成群的无人机。

至于Sypaq公司，国防部表示将“开发Corvo Strike拦截无人机，该无人机旨在追踪、锁定并摧毁目前战场上常用的大型无人机。”这款由四个螺旋桨驱动的带翼拦截无人机也是一种巡飞弹。

这两个产品最终都将整合到陆军“陆地 156”反无人机系统 (C-UAS) 项目下正在开发的指挥控制系统中。

康罗伊提出的70亿澳元“用于无人机防御”的计划还包括海军导弹、NASAMS防空系统、新型中程防空系统以及战斗机升级等多种能力。

专用反无人机系统只是《综合情报计划》（IIP）中列出的七个类别之一。该文件提到了“采购和引入步兵和车载系统，以保护部署部队免受低空空中威胁，包括无人飞行器和直升机”。

这两份总价值3170万澳元的合同与今年仅用于AUKUS潜艇项目的39亿澳元相比，简直是小巫见大巫。此外，它们只是研发合同，因此Fractl和Corvo Strike潜艇尚未做好大规模部署的准备。

康罗伊表示：“乌克兰战争和中东冲突表明，无人驾驶飞行系统越来越多地被用于冲突中，因此，开发自主反无人机解决方案对于确保澳大利亚国防军能够探测、评估和应对这些威胁至关重要。”

预计乌克兰将在 2026 年生产约 450 万架无人机和反无人机系统。

戈登·阿瑟是《防务新闻》的亚洲特派记者。在香港工作20年后，他现居新西兰。他曾到访亚太地区约20个国家，参加过军事演习和防务展览。