New Zealand has taken a "stepping stone" towards fielding counter-drone systems that can shoot drones down, with newly released Cabinet papers confirming the Defence Force's approval of a foreign-made jamming system as an interim capability.
The papers, from July, do not name the system and blank out costs, but a $2 million deal for a Danish system already used by Australia was announced last month. The Danish firm MyDefence markets jammers that disrupt radio and GPS links, including a wearable jammer called "pitbull" and a perimeter detection unit called "wolfpack".
The Cabinet paper said the system would cope with the most likely short-term drone threat, but would not provide full protection against the advanced, high-intensity drone threats seen in the Ukraine-Russia or Middle East wars. "However, it does establish a critical foundation for future capability development, including potential expansion to systems that physically destroy drones with projectiles," it said.
Even this limited system faced legislative barriers. "Inter-agency co-ordination and amendment to legislation will be required to clarify and broaden the legal authority to use," the paper said. The legislative implications were blanked out. The system was the fourth strongest of five options, with the fifth, "maximum protection supporting larger, more complex" operations, ruled out for reasons that were also blanked. One section said it was not intended for use within New Zealand except to support national security objectives, while another discussed domestic deployment.
The paper said it would provide "sufficient protection" for the army and air force, including for RNZAF aircraft and personnel at air bases when deployed overseas on operations. Navy protection would come later because it was more complex.
The decision follows Australia's selection of counter-drone capabilities in November 2025, in which NZDF took part, and a canvass of 46 companies including 17 with facilities in New Zealand. "Analysis shows that no domestic manufacturer currently meets NZDF's immediate counter-drone needs," the Cabinet paper said. Global spending on counter-drone systems reached almost $100 billion in the first nine months of this year.
A separate November 2025 Cabinet paper, also just released, establishes a Defence Technology Accelerator that will "start small" by focusing on drones and counter-drones, with about $1 million a year for a co-development fund. Its goal is to help develop advanced technologies for military use with the NZDF and for export by late 2026. The accelerator was being set up in August, tightly partnered with the Defence Science and Technology unit in Auckland, under a four-phase plan needing additional funding for the next three phases. The paper said businesses would need help understanding export controls, international obligations, policy on autonomous weapon systems, and New Zealand's membership of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Some defence commentators have expressed disappointment at the accelerator's $17 million over four years, compared with a "significant uplift" of $100 million to $300 million flagged last year. The Cabinet paper described a "minimum viable approach" with eight staff. Then defence minister Judith Collins wrote: "This reduces risk that scarce fiscal resources are wasted."