The Military International Drone Racing Tournament (MIDRT) is a world-class competitive event that brings together military drone pilots from partner nations across the globe to test speed, skill, and precision in a high-intensity racing environment.
The inaugural Military International Drone Racing Tournament (MIDRT) in 2018 was held in Sydney, Australia. Military teams from Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand, The United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States competed in the three-day event marking the start of this exciting and adaptive competition series.
Designed to challenge both pilots and platforms, the tournament features fast-paced head-to-head racing on technically demanding courses that push the limits of human performance, teamwork, and engineering. Pilots compete in real time, navigating complex tracks at extreme speeds, managing crashes, and conducting rapid mid-race repairs under pressure – just as they would in real operational conditions.
The event provides a unique opportunity for spectators to see military drone pilots up close, both on the track and trackside where rapid diagnostics and repairs take place in a time-critical environment.
Beyond the competition, MIDRT recognises the critical role of uncrewed systems in modern defence. There is a strong alignment between drone racing and collaboration between partner nations that further enhances UAS and C-UAS technology and military capability.
The tournament also aims to inspire the next generation. Through live demonstrations, interactive displays, and engagement with serving personnel, MIDRT promotes STEM education, STEM related careers and pathways into defence, aviation and engineering.
At its core, the Military International Drone Racing Tournament is where competition meets capability as a key enabler for the development of knowledge, skills and experience of building and operating UAS. The MIDRT mission is to advance human-centric uncrewed and autonomous capabilities through competitive innovation, strengthening partner nations through shared knowledge, skill, experimentation and operational excellence.