Overview
- The New Zealand Army launched the three-week first-person view (FPV) short-range drone specialist course, which the service announced on Monday to raise operator skills and hardware resilience.
- Course participants build the UAS used in training, including 3D-printed parts and fibre-optic control systems, and learn fault diagnosis and field repairs to reduce reliance on external supply chains.
- Instruction and course design draw from the Australian Army’s Land Combat College and include Australian instructors to strengthen operational interoperability under Plan Anzac.
- Training focuses on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance using daylight and thermal sensors, while exercises include simulated 'as if' armed scenarios and officials say no live explosives are being flown.
- The launch comes as the New Zealand Defence Force signals plans for large near-term drone purchases worth up to several hundred million dollars, shifting the force from experimentation to wider capability investment.