As European countries rush to shore up their defences amid relentless fighting in Ukraine and a growing Russian "shadow" threat, companies here are capitalising on the age of drone warfare.

In short:

The value of Australian defence exports has skyrocketed since Russia invaded Ukraine and demand is unlikely to let up in the near future, analysts say.

One Australian company’s sales are up more than 400 per cent for the year, including a $60 million-plus deal with a European military customer.

What’s next?

Defence tech companies say they are in a “cat and mouse game” to keep up with increasingly sophisticated attack drones.