The Albanese Government has finalised contracts with AIM Defence and SYPAQ Systems under the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator’s Mission Syracuse.
The investment, part of a broader commitment to sovereign defence manufacturing, allocates $21.3 million to AIM Defence for the refinement of its high-powered laser counter-drone systems and $10.4 million to SYPAQ Systems for the development of specialised interceptor drones designed to neutralise larger, high-speed targets.
The initial outlays represent the first phase of a massive $7 billion commitment dedicated to counter-drone capabilities within the 2026 Integrated Investment Programme.
The funding surge aligns with the recently released 2026 National Defence Strategy, which identifies the rapid proliferation of uncrewed aerial systems as a transformative challenge in modern warfare.
Highlighting the urgency of the initiative, Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy noted that conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have demonstrated the lethality of "unscrewed" systems, making sovereign detection and response technologies a non-negotiable priority for the Australian Defence Force.
Over the next decade, the government’s financial roadmap scales even further, with up to $22 billion earmarked for drones, autonomous systems, and counter-UAS technology.