Lessons from the drone frontline: fielding what works in a fight that won't wait

By Dr Andreas Schwer

Drones have already redrawn the rules of ground combat. They’re knocking out artillery, overwhelming logistics and pushing forces to rethink how they manoeuvre and defend. These are not emerging threats. They are shaping battlefield outcomes every day.

Across Ukraine and other theatres, drones are being launched by the hundreds. Many are commercial-grade systems adapted with lethal intent. They’re fast, low-cost and increasingly autonomous. They’re used to strike, surveil, confuse and exhaust. They succeed because the response hasn’t kept up.

Some counter-drone technologies, especially those that rely on electronic detection or jamming, are already being outpaced. Newer drones suppress emissions, mask their identity, shield their control systems, or use fibre-optic tethers to bypass interference. The reality is sobering: many of the tools developed to stop drones are being defeated in the field.

That makes one fact impossible to ignore: some counter-drone technologies are transient by design. They chase the threat but rarely get ahead of it.

What’s endured, and continues to deliver effect, are simpler, more direct solutions. Optical detection, precision tracking, and kinetic effectors have proven effective in real-world operations. They don’t rely on the drone making a mistake. They rely on seeing it and stopping it.

Australia has strength in this space. Our defence industry is delivering optical and direct-fire systems that are already in the hands of partners abroad. These systems are coming back sharper, tested under operational pressure, and ready for broader fielding.

Among them are EOS’s vehicle-mounted remote weapon systems, which combine sensors, decision-making and firepower. They’re modular, scalable and proven in combat, not just demonstrations. They can operate independently, as part of a collective kinetic counter-drone capability, or within a layered defence system. They’re effective and available now and can be easily upgraded to accommodate future effectors with longer ranges and higher lethality.

And where kinetic systems are already delivering in the field, high-energy laser weapons are close behind. EOS is now moving from long-term testing to low-rate production of 100kW-class lasers, with fielding expected from 2027. Designed for both mobile and fixed-site defence, they offer a scalable response to sustained or high-volume drone attacks, without the logistics burden of conventional munitions.

Defence organisations have recognised the need for a layered, responsive counter-drone architecture. But recognition alone doesn’t deliver protection. Deployment does. This is not about long-term programs or waiting for perfect answers. It’s about staying in the fight.

That means putting real capability into the field, learning through use and improving fast.

The threat is evolving in real time. Countering it will depend on whether we can field and adapt at the same pace.

Australia has real capability available now: tested, adaptable and ready to field.

Published in The Australian. Read the article here.