The Chief of the Royal Australian Air Force has hinted at a looming push to acquire large numbers of low-cost lethal drones to give the defence force greater "mass" to take on well-armed adversaries.
Addressing the Chief of Air Force Symposium ahead of this week's Avalon Air Show, Air Marshal Rob Chipman acknowledged the war in Ukraine had taught all militaries numerous lessons about the importance of air superiority.
"It is obvious that despite technical and numerical superiority that Russia has failed to achieve air control over Ukraine and that air power has been poorly integrated with their scheme of manoeuvre," he said.
Over the past year Ukrainian forces have been praised by military experts for their use of cheap unmanned aerial systems to conduct surveillance of invading Russian forces and for delivering lethal payloads against the enemy.
Air Marshal Chipman told a Melbourne audience, which included dozens of foreign air force chiefs and senior leaders, that Australia was carefully examining the equipment being used in eastern Europe, but cautioned it was important not to be "seduced by technology".
"We've seen a proliferation of low-cost drones and loitering munitions delivering both ISR [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] and fires to great effect – they don't replace the roles of contemporary combat aircraft, but they might serve as a useful complement," he said.
"Drones certainly present a challenging threat to our forces on the ground.
"We're considering the potential of low-cost drones that bring mass to our air combat system, and we're considering what new measures are necessary to defend against them."
For around two decades the RAAF has examined acquiring armed drones, but at present there are no plans for Australia to have the lethal technology.
Last year the Morrison government cancelled the $1.3 billion SkyGuardian armed drone program, two decades after the lethal Reaper platform was first introduced by the US military.
Defence minister invokes Top Gun
Just days before the government is expected to respond to the Defence Strategic Review, Defence Minister Richard Marles told the conference that air forces were the "coolest" part of any military.
"Since we last met, of course Top Gun Maverick has graced cinemas around the world [and] this important documentary bears out exactly this point," Mr Marles joked to a room which also included senior naval and army officers.
Mr Marles told the largely international audience that unlike other nations in the Indo-Pacific region, Australia wanted to be transparent about what it is doing with its expansion of military capability.
"That there is an understanding amongst our neighbours and the other nations of the world, as to why we are engaging in an increase in our defence spending, a build-up of our defence forces and exactly how that will occur," he said.
The Australian International Airshow and Aerospace and Defence Exposition, known commonly as Avalon, will open its gates on Tuesday.
Organisers say this year's event, held for the first time since 2019 will be the largest in the 30-year history of Avalon.
Almost 800 companies are taking part in Avalon 2023, with more than 40 nations represented including 22 military service chiefs.
