How is drone racing shaping the future of military capability? And can Australia harness these skills to strengthen its uncrewed systems and workforce? In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, senior journalist Robert Dougherty is joined by Wing Commander Keirin Joyce, Australian Defence Force Drone Racing Association president and deputy director of disruptive experimentation in the Royal Australian Air Force, to discuss the recent Military International Drone Racing Tournament held in Sydney, where the ADF secured its sixth consecutive team victory amid growing global competition.

WGCDR Joyce holds a bachelor of aeronautical engineering (honours) from the Australian Defence Force Academy and has spent more than two decades in support of the ADF Uncrewed Aerial Systems capability, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

He shares experiences from his most recent speaking engagement at the Deakin Defence Conference in Melbourne and his PhD paper: Barriers to large logistics drones.

The podcast conversation includes the following topics:

• How the tournament operates across racing and tactical phases, including payload delivery and aerial interception challenges designed to replicate real-world combat scenarios.
• Strong crossover between drone racing and military capability.
• Drone racing and ADF drone capability's role in recruitment, STEM engagement and developing a future-ready workforce.

Finally, the discussion looks at evolving drone warfare trends, future ADF integration and opportunities to expand drone racing across services, cadets and veterans.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team