DroneShield backs ADF drone racing team through 2026
DroneShield has renewed its support for the Australian Defence Force Drone Racing Team for 2026, extending a partnership that blends competitive flying with counter-drone technology and operational training.
The arrangement continues a multi-year relationship between the listed counter-drone specialist and the ADF unit, which competes in international military drone racing events. It follows the team's recent activities at the Avalon 2025 air show and earlier seasons of competition.
DroneShield said its role goes beyond financial sponsorship. The company has embedded its own pilots into ADF Drone Racing Team activities. They work with defence personnel on practical flying, race preparation and experimentation with new tactics.
The parties frame the work as a shared learning environment. It brings together the ADF team's experience in high-speed drone racing with DroneShield's focus on detecting and countering unmanned systems.
The ADF Drone Racing Team acts as a showcase for small uncrewed aircraft systems within the services. The team also functions as a training ground for operators who may later move into operational drone and counter-drone roles.
DroneShield's Chief Executive, Oleg Vornik, said the renewed partnership reflects the strategic value both sides see in the programme.
"The ADF Drone Racing Team continues to set the benchmark for advanced drone operations, and we're proud to support their journey in 2026. This collaboration is about more than racing. It's about building the skills and technologies that will define the next generation of Defence capability," said Vornik, Chief Executive, DroneShield.
The collaboration includes joint sessions where pilots fly racing drones under competitive conditions. The teams also use the events as a venue for testing concepts that relate to navigation, resilience and response to interference.
Defence planners globally view drone racing as a useful proxy for high-stress operations involving uncrewed systems. The format compresses decision-making and control tasks into short, intense races. It also encourages rapid experimentation with aircraft design, software tuning and pilot training methods.
DroneShield develops and supplies systems that detect, track and, in some cases, disrupt hostile drones. The company works with military and security customers in Australia and overseas.
Defence drone operators and counter-drone specialists often draw on similar skill sets. Both fields rely on understanding airframe performance, radio links, sensor behaviour and the effects of electronic interference in crowded environments.
DroneShield said its involvement in the ADF Drone Racing Team opens a channel between its engineering and operational staff and serving defence personnel. The company uses this channel for knowledge exchange, and the ADF team uses it for additional training inputs and exposure to counter-drone concepts.
The ADF Drone Racing Team operates across the services and includes personnel from multiple branches. The team has built a record at international military drone racing events and currently holds the world title.
Wing Commander Keirin Joyce, President of the ADF Drone Racing Team, said the partnership aligns with the team's focus on technological development. "Our partnership with DroneShield helps drive innovation across Defence. By combining the expertise of pilots from the ADF drone racing team with cutting-edge counter-drone technology, we create a unique environment for testing, learning, and advancing Australia's operational edge," said Joyce.
The programme highlights a shift in how defence organisations experiment with drones. Military drone racing teams operate outside traditional procurement channels. They often adopt commercial, off-the-shelf hardware and adapt it quickly, which shortens development cycles compared with major platform programmes.
Australia's defence sector has increased its investment in uncrewed systems and counter-drone products in recent years. Local firms work alongside international suppliers as the ADF prepares for a future in which drones feature more heavily across land, sea and air domains.
DroneShield's ongoing work with the ADF Drone Racing Team sits within this wider context. The company positions the effort as part of its broader engagement with Australian defence initiatives that focus on technical skills and operational experimentation.
The ADF Drone Racing Team will defend its world title for a sixth time at the Military International Drone Racing Tournament in Sydney in March 2026, where DroneShield will continue its support.
