Australia to Invest in Anti-Drone Defenses as Iran Shows Potency

Australia will invest billions of dollars to establish anti-drone defense systems as the wars in Iran and Ukraine underscore the potency of unmanned vehicles in a rapidly evolving global security environment.

Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy announced two contracts on Tuesday in the first tranche of that effort: one is with Melbourne-based Sypaq for small interceptors and the other with AIM for a laser-weapon to shoot down aerial attack drones. The contracts totaled A$30 million, with the government planning to outlay up to A$7 billion ($5 billion) on these and similar weapons.