The adoption of novel weapons and tactics in today's battlespace is happening at an extremely rapid rate.
To build competitive advantage, Australia is pursuing greater defence technology cooperation with international partners to accelerate the delivery of advanced military capabilities for the warfighter.
A new partnership between Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) and the United Kingdom's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) will bring together cutting-edge technologies from both countries to develop affordable, next-generation guided weapons systems.
Signed in February 2025, the Copperhead Project Arrangement (PA) aims to accelerate weapons development with innovative 'plug and launch' modular technology to deliver advanced, yet low-cost, guided weapons subsystems.
Copperhead leverages Australia's existing Sharktooth technology and combines it with the United Kingdom's Modular Weapons Testbed - capitalising on both nations' shared expertise to bring concept to capability faster.
Led by DSTG, Sharktooth is a small guided missile project that enables rapid integration of components like sensors, warheads, guidance systems and propulsion units.
DSTG Research Leader Dr Michael Sharp said 'plug and play' modular technology offered the Australian Defence Force an effective and agile response to evolving threats and countermeasure on the battlefield.
"The pinnacle of which could be 'plug and launch' enabling the soldier in the field to adapt to the mission at hand by combining weapon components or a mix of weapons," Dr Sharp said.
"The disruption that this offers over more conventional weapons approaches has the potential to confer asymmetric advantage, contributing to a strategy of deterrence."
The PA will also grow sovereign manufacturing capability through research and development (R&D), central to the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Plan to deliver the Government's Future Made in Australia agenda.
'In an increasingly challenging and contested global security environment, Australia must strengthen its industrial and technology cooperation with international partners to pool resources and give Australia a genuine competitive edge.'
Under the GWEO research and development program, the Australian Government has invested nearly $60 million for domestic industry to partner with DSTG on GWEO sub-systems technologies.
Copperhead will boost this effort by driving new Australian defence industry bases in sub-systems where there is currently limited or no capability in Australia.
For example, it will support the creation of future capabilities including rocket motors and propulsion modules, modular warheads and fuzes, advanced seekers and innovative guidance, navigation and control technologies.
"The agreement expands our ability to leverage new technologies from a more diverse range of industry partners and will speed development by integrating technology for test and evaluation in weapons realistic test beds," Dr Sharp said.
Chief Defence Scientist Professor Tanya Monro said Copperhead combined the strengths of DSTG and Dstl to deliver asymmetric advantage in a deteriorating strategic environment.
"In an increasingly challenging and contested global security environment, Australia must strengthen its industrial and technology cooperation with international partners to pool resources and give Australia a genuine competitive edge," Professor Monro said.
"Our ability to deliver advanced defence capabilities is underpinned by international partnerships like this one, enabling game-changing ideas and cutting-edge science to be developed with speed into capabilities that provide the ADF an advantage."
The groundbreaking partnership illustrates how Defence is prioritising innovation, science and technology (IS&T) to deliver a focused, integrated and more lethal ADF under the 2024 National Defence Strategy and Defence IS&T Strategy: Accelerating Asymmetric Advantage - Delivering More, Together.
