Defence force launches new drone training programme

The army has launched a new training course for building drones with 3D printers and flying them - including as if they were armed.

The NZ Defence Force plans to spend up to several hundred million dollars on drones in the next three years.

Its latest three-week course teaches soldiers to deploy and repair drones cheaply in the field.

Qualified drone operators can use the course to increase their skills with the technology. While they will mostly train on surveillance and reconnaissance, commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Mateparae said it went beyond that.

"We are not flying UAS with live explosives, but it is clearly a mature technology now that is being used in current conflicts, so we are future-proofing our needs by developing the skills to be able to do this."

The course is based on an Australian model from its Land Combat College and has instructors from over the Tasman to boost inter-operability.

The Australian Army has talked about being "ready to kill enemy personnel with their lethal payloads".

It said it was rapidly accelerating its attack drone capability through such training, including preparing teams for tasks such as "killing enemy personnel and destroying enemy assets in the contemporary battlespace".