Ukraine has offered to share its combat-tested drone technology and battlefield expertise with Australia, The Australian Financial Review reports. Officials from both countries are already holding talks on manufacturing, training, and underwater drone systems as Canberra ramps up its own multibillion-dollar drone programs.
Ukraine offers its battlefield drone expertise to Australia
According to AFR, Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko said Kyiv is “ready to share” the unique skills it has developed in deploying and countering unmanned systems since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
He told The Australian Financial Review that “the innovation in the last three years in Ukraine is just staggering” and emphasized the importance of Australia developing its own sovereign defense industry capabilities.
He added that the Australian government had expressed interest and Kyiv was awaiting next steps.
Australian delegation travels to Kyiv for drone talks
In late August, an Australian delegation headed by Brigadier General Grant Chambers, director general of joint warfare development, traveled to Kyiv for talks with Deputy Defense Minister Serhii Boyev.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said the Australian delegates expressed interest in Ukraine’s experience in developing and expanding the drone industry, focusing on manufacturing, deployment, and personnel training. Boyev stated,
“We are grateful to Australia for its political and financial support, as well as for supplying weapons. For our part, we stand ready to share our expertise in developing the drone industry.”
An Australian Defense spokesman confirmed the visit, which had been initiated by Ukraine, and said,
“Like other countries, Australia is learning lessons from Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s illegal invasion, including the evolution of capabilities and what this could mean in the event of future conflict. This has included discussions with Ukraine and with other close partners.”
Kyiv offers underwater drone expertise
Myroshnychenko said Ukraine is pursuing deeper bilateral cooperation with Australia on underwater drone systems after developing the sophisticated Magura V7, which shot down two Russian Su-30 warplanes in the Black Sea in May. Other versions of the Magura sank multiple ships of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
He also recently told an Australian podcast that Ukraine could provide training to the Australian Defense Force in the use of platforms to counter drones. Myroshnychenko said his country possesses millions of hours of video footage of drone warfare that could help improve battlefield maneuvers or train artificial intelligence useful to the defense industry.
Australia’s drone buildup and the push to learn from Ukraine
Australia has intensified its focus on drone warfare, with the Albanese government pledging to invest more than 10 billion AUD ($6,54 billion) on drones over the next decade, including at least 4.3 billion AUD ($2,81 billion) on uncrewed aerial systems.
In September, it announced the 1.7 billion AUD ($1,11 billion) Ghost Shark program to build a fleet of AI-controlled underwater drones over the next five years, and conducted the first public test flight of the MQ-28A Ghost Bat drone, the first military combat aircraft designed, engineered, and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years.