What happens when a drone-killer and toxic radio collide?

April 11, 2026 — 5:00am

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Last year, DroneShield soared to an astounding $6 billion valuation as amateur investors lapped up reports of global defence contracts while ignoring modest revenue and zero profits.

As chief executive Oleg Vornik boasted: “We’re the only listed counter-drone company in the world.”

The Iran conflict has only enhanced the theme of drones and cheap rockets as the clear winners in any future war and unnegotiable must-haves for the industrial military complex.

But DroneShield shares are trading at barely half last year’s peak thanks to some unforced errors by its co-pilots, CEO Vornik and chairman Peter James.

They inexplicably sold all their shares with zero notice and no coherent explanation late last year, which sent the stock into a nosedive from which it is yet to fully recover.

So it was no surprise this week that both announced their abrupt departures just ahead of their moment of penance before investors at its annual meeting.

A clear message must have been sent from somewhere, possibly investors: As a multibillion dollar stock, DroneShield needed a grown up who could settle market nerves and attract the big fund managers who should be flocking to a globally successful player in a hot sector.

Which brings us to the DroneShield annual meeting in late May, where the group’s........

© The Sydney Morning Herald