October
- Analysis
- Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The horror weapon transforming warfare
Drones used to be raptors, meaning they came back and could be used again. Now that drones can be cheaply replaced, they have arguably changed warfare forever.
- Guy Kelly
- Exclusive
- Start-ups
Drone start-up Swoop Aero crashes to earth, enters administration
Swoop Aero, a drone delivery start-up backed by CSIRO’s Main Sequence, is being restructured by administrators two years after turning down a $100m takeover.
- Yolanda Redrup, Paul Smith and Tess Bennett
Four Israeli soldiers killed in Hezbollah drone attack
The Iran-backed terror group said the barrage on the IDF base showed it could still inflict Israeli losses despite the death of its leader in Beirut last month.
- Updated
- Jotam Confino
August
Ukraine launches ‘one of largest’ drone attacks on Moscow
The attack on the Russian capital was part of a broader Ukrainian drone strike across regions in Russia.
- Updated
- Guy Faulconbridge and Lidia Kelly
July
DroneShield rubbishes critics, courts politicians
No sooner had we written off Rodney Forrest than he totally crashed the share price of ASX-listed DroneShield.
- Myriam Robin
Drone food delivery set to land in Melbourne’s east
Lightweight, styrofoam drones will soon be flying over the city, delivering meals and packages to homes in Melbourne’s sprawling outer-eastern suburbs.
- Tom Rabe
June
Risk for critical infrastructure over China-manufactured drones
Australian critical infrastructure is at risk of spying and disruption with a lack of government guidance over the growing use of unmanned drones to monitor and carry out menial work, new research says.
- Max Mason
April
Eric Schmidt is helping build Ukraine’s war machine
Google’s ex-chief executive is a force behind a new generation of drones that may revolutionise warfare.
- David Sanger
March
- Tech
- Life & Leisure
Smaller, faster, deadlier - how drones are changing our world
Unmanned flying machines from insect-sized swarms to car-sized transports are about to become a ubiquitous part of our daily lives.
- Tony Davis
Australia joins ‘Drone Coalition’ to help Ukraine fight Russia
Defence will also upgrade ties with the British military, as uncertainty grows over America’s commitment to the war.
- Andrew Tillett
US, UK, French shoot down Houthi drones after attack on carrier
US Central Command says US military and coalition forces downed at least 28 uncrewed aerial vehicles over the Red Sea in the early hours of Saturday.
- Mohammed Ghobari
January
- Analysis
- Russia-Ukraine war
Russia has the upper hand in electronic warfare with Ukraine
Both sides have invested heavily in systems that can neutralise each other’s drone armies, but Moscow maintains the advantage because it started first.
- Roman Olearchyk
October 2023
How China is reining in Ukraine’s war of drones
The world’s largest manufacturer of the aircraft is making it harder for Ukraine to access the key battlefield tech.
- Paul Mozur and Valerie Hopkins
September 2023
Aussie drone start-up banks $36m from US energy giants
A start-up that replaces human crews in helicopters with drones to string high-voltage power lines has attracted several big-name backers.
- Updated
- Tess Bennett
This fintech lets you pay for fuel with bitcoin
A small, but growing, cohort of consumers is tapping their crypto wallets to pay for fuel, powered by a local payments innovation.
- Tess Bennett
Cardboard drone maker used in Ukraine is Australia’s top innovator
Sypaq has won the 2023 AFR Boss Most Innovative Companies Award, for its flat packed cardboard drones, which have been serving on the front line in Ukraine.
- Paul Smith
New business guidelines aim to help firms account for impact on nature
The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures released its final rules on nature risk, which will force banks to understand the effects of lending.
- James Eyers
Triton drone purchase to boost northern defences
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy has announced $1.5 billion in new spending to boost maritime and air protections.
- Tom McIlroy
‘Nothing illegal’: Australia rebuffs cardboard drone attack claim
The Defence Department said weapons are being supplied to Ukraine on a lawful basis after Russia claimed Australian-made drones hit targets inside Russia.
- Andrew Tillett
August 2023
Meet Australia’s ethical arms dealer
Oleg Vornik fled Russia as a teen when his homeland took an authoritarian turn. Now he is helping Ukraine defend itself against Putin’s army.
- Updated
- Andrew Tillett