Australia Expands Training to Prepare Soldiers to Build and Operate FPV Drones for Modern Combat Operations.

On March 27, 2026, Australia’s Department of Defence announced that the Australian Army was expanding its drone training pipeline through the “Modify and Operate Attack Drones (FPV)” course, underscoring a broader effort to institutionalise small uncrewed air systems within frontline force preparation.

The move reflects the growing centrality of low-cost drones in contemporary warfare, where such systems have become integral to reconnaissance, targeting and precision strike missions. By accelerating this training at unit level, the Australian Army is seeking to translate lessons observed in recent conflicts into a more responsive and operationally relevant land combat capability.

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Australia is rapidly embedding Ukraine-derived FPV drone combat tactics into frontline units by expanding hands-on attack drone training across its Army (Picture Source: Australian Army)

At the centre of this effort is a course designed not only to teach soldiers how to fly first-person-view drones, but also how to build, modify and employ them as attack systems in realistic field conditions. Conducted at the Puckapunyal Military Area in Victoria, the training places teams in concealed positions on rugged terrain, where they use FPV goggles to search for targets and rehearse strike profiles against enemy personnel and assets. Although the lethal payloads are simulated, the purpose of the training is clear: to familiarise soldiers with the tempo, pressure and tactical logic of drone-enabled combat in the contemporary battlespace.

According to the Land Combat College, the FPV course forms part of a broader training pathway focused on small uncrewed air systems. Australia’s Department of Defence explained that the earlier “Employ Multi-Role Drones” course teaches trainees to use stabilised drones mainly as reconnaissance platforms, while also preparing them to deliver munitions or carry other payloads. The newer FPV syllabus takes that process further by bringing soldiers to the point where they can produce, adapt and operate attack drones in the field to strike targets at range. Together, these courses reflect an effort to develop operators who understand both surveillance functions and direct attack applications.

The official Australian Army statement also underlined that the training is delivered by instructors from the Land Combat College and the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, to personnel drawn from a wide range of combat and combat support units. This approach shows that the capability is not being reserved for a narrow specialist community. Instead, graduates are expected to return to their formations and rapidly integrate multi-role and attack-drone skills into their own units. In practical terms, this helps shorten the gap between experimentation on the range and operational use during larger exercises or future deployments.

One of the clearest indicators of the course’s relevance is its connection to Ukraine’s battlefield experience. Department of Defence stated that most instructors come from 2 RAR, which recently returned from Operation Kudu after being directly mentored by drone specialists from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. That detail gives the program unusual depth, because it draws on knowledge shaped in a conflict where FPV drones and other small uncrewed systems have been used extensively to hit infantry positions, vehicles and support nodes. Rather than treating Ukraine as a distant example, the Australian Army appears to be turning combat-tested practices into structured training for its own force.

The Army also appears focused on speed. Australia’s Department of Defence stated that the service will continue refining what works, removing what does not and scaling the courses quickly across the force. It pointed to trainees from 5/7 RAR who are expected to take the capability back to their unit and test it within weeks during a combined-arms exercise. That rapid transition from classroom and range instruction to unit experimentation suggests the Army wants drone capability embedded in manoeuvre training as soon as possible, not left as a stand-alone technical specialty detached from the wider force.

Feedback from trainees reinforces the direction of this effort. Department of Defence quoted a participant who arrived on the course without prior drone-flying experience and left with a clearer understanding of the effects that small uncrewed air systems can deliver. The same trainee observed that drones are no longer a future concept but a feature of present warfare, and that armed forces need to adapt quickly. That view aligns closely with how armies around the world are reassessing doctrine, force design and training cycles in response to the growing role of FPV and other tactical drones.

Australia’s latest FPV training push shows an army working to turn battlefield observation into institutional practice. By linking reconnaissance drones, attack drones, field concealment, rapid force-wide integration and lessons drawn from Ukraine, the Australian Army is building a practical framework for modern land warfare. The message from Puckapunyal is direct: forces that can train, test and distribute drone expertise quickly will be better prepared for a battlefield where small, inexpensive systems can shape manoeuvre, destroy enemy assets and alter the balance of combat.

Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.