Australian Army launches new Drone Tactics Handbook, Unit Guide to sUAS Operations

The documents were announced alongside a FORCOMD (Forces Command) Red Book for 2026, which demonstrates a realistic contemporary adversary for personnel to inform training against.

Army Battle Lab commander Colonel Matt Hodda, speaking in a public video about the publications, said the Battle Lab is focused on turning lessons, experimentation and innovation into a practical advantage for the Australian Defence Force.

“Concurrently, the Battle Lab has released two publications to support the fast growing use of drones across Army,” he said.

“The Drone Tactics Handbook focuses on how drones can be effectively employed across combat tasks, drawing on our experience and lessons from Army, partner forces and current conflicts.

“The Unit Guide to sUAS Operations is valuable for units looking to establish a drone capability. It discusses safety, governance and getting the basics right from the outset.

“Together these two publications will help units move forward faster with drone capability without having to relearn key lessons in isolation.”

It’s understood that the Unit Guide to sUAS Operations was developed with HQ Aviation Command, Forces Command Land Combat College, 3rd Brigade and other units.

Earlier this year, the Australian Defence Force announced that personnel were operating first-person-view drones with simulated lethal payloads under new small uncrewed air system training targeted for integration across the Australian Army.

That comprehensive training continuum was reportedly designed to get soldiers ready to take the capability back to their home units and across the wider Australian Army. Under the training, soldiers operated UAS through first-person view goggles at Puckapunyal Military Area field range in Victoria.

Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.