DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO) has given shareholders a rough ride in 2026.

But I still believe the long-term opportunity in counter-drone technology is substantial.

For investors comfortable with high risk and plenty of volatility, here are three reasons I would consider buying the shares in September.

A much lower entry point

The first reason is simple. Investors can buy DroneShield shares for considerably less than they could previously.

The shares are trading around $1.75 on Monday, close to their 52-week low of $1.68 and roughly 74% below the 52-week high of $6.71.

It is always important to highlight that a falling share price does not automatically create value. But I think the size of this decline is worth considering alongside what has happened to the business.

DroneShield is still growing strongly. Its latest half-year result showed rapid revenue growth, even if some parts of the performance were softer than investors had hoped.

For me, the lower price changes the risk-reward equation.

I would still keep the position relatively small because DroneShield remains a relatively speculative growth investment. But I am far more comfortable buying near $1.75 than chasing the shares when enthusiasm had pushed them above $6.

The market could become enormous

Counter-drone technology is quickly becoming a more important part of modern defence.

DroneShield estimates the counter-UAS market is already worth more than US$10 billion. Its products are designed to help military, government, law enforcement, and critical infrastructure customers detect and respond to drone threats.

I think the opportunity extends well beyond today’s conflicts. Drones are becoming cheaper, more capable, and harder to detect. Airports, prisons, power infrastructure, military installations, and other sensitive sites all have reasons to improve their protection.

DroneShield also continues updating its software to respond to faster drones, changing frequencies, and more evasive threats.

That ongoing need to adapt could support demand for both new systems and continued software development.

DroneShield is preparing to operate at greater scale

I also like what the company is doing outside Australia.

DroneShield established a European headquarters in Amsterdam this year and has begun manufacturing counter-drone systems in Europe using a predominantly European supply chain.

I think that is a significant step. Defence customers often care about local manufacturing, supply security, and sovereign capability. Having production closer to European customers could help DroneShield compete for opportunities that may have been harder to pursue from Australia alone.

The company is therefore building the infrastructure needed for a much larger international business rather than simply waiting for demand to arrive.

Foolish takeaway

DroneShield is still one of the higher-risk shares I would consider buying, and I would expect the share price to remain volatile.

But the long-term story continues to interest me.

At around $1.75, investors can back that opportunity at a fraction of the price available near last year’s highs. If DroneShield keeps expanding internationally and counter-drone spending continues rising, I think its business could look considerably bigger a decade from now.

The post 3 reasons to buy DroneShield shares after their 74% decline appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Grace Alvino has positions in DroneShield. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended DroneShield. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

ASX copper stock Kaoko Metals Ltd (ASX: KAO) has shifted into top gear, surging more than 235% over the past five trading days to $2.50. That takes the ASX small-cap’s gains to roughly 550% since its May 2026 IPO.

This begs the question: Could Kaoko be the next big ASX copper stock?

Maiden copper drilling campaign

Kaoko Metals is a Perth-based mineral exploration company focused on copper and other metals in Namibia. Its flagship asset is the Chalkos Copper-Silver Project in the prospective Kaoko Belt, where the company has recently begun its maiden diamond drilling campaign.

The first observations have certainly caught investors’ attention. Two completed holes at the Otniel prospect intersected broad zones of visible copper mineralisation.

One hole intersected 60.25 metres of visible copper mineralisation from 36.65 metres down-hole, including a stronger 32.36-metre zone. The second intersected 51.83 metres from 39.27 metres, including a 17.2-metre stronger zone.

The drill core contained several copper minerals, including chalcocite, malachite, cuprite, native copper, and chalcopyrite.

For a newly listed exploration company, broad zones of visible copper in the opening holes of a maiden drilling campaign are understandably generating plenty of excitement around the ASX copper stock.

Trading halt for capital raising

And with a market capitalisation of roughly $150 million at the time of writing, relatively modest buying pressure can translate into extraordinary percentage gains.

In Kaoko’s case, the share price surge has followed the announcement of these encouraging drilling observations.

However, investors may not be able to trade the ASX copper stock on Monday. Kaoko has requested a trading halt pending an announcement regarding a capital raising. The halt is requested until the earlier of the announcement being released or normal trading recommencing on Tuesday, 8 September 2026.

Why are investors excited about copper?

The broader copper backdrop helps explain the enthusiasm.

Copper prices rose 3.7% during August, while iron ore fell 2%. That’s an unusual divergence given the dominance of iron ore among Australia’s major mining exports. Mining giant BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) also specifically highlighted copper’s contribution to its record FY26 result.

Longer term, electrification and rising demand from energy infrastructure are supporting the copper outlook, while a lack of major new discoveries has increased the value investors place on exploration success.

That combination helps explain why this ASX copper stock has attracted so much attention.

But here’s the big catch

There is an important caveat for investors in this ASX copper stock. The copper mineralisation has been visually identified in the drill core, but the actual copper grades have not yet been confirmed by laboratory assays.

Those results will be crucial. Kaoko expects the laboratory assays in approximately four to six weeks, potentially giving investors a much clearer picture of the mineralisation’s quality and economic potential.

Until then, Kaoko remains a highly speculative exploration stock.

The drilling has certainly given investors plenty to get excited about. But the assays will ultimately determine whether this spectacular share price rally has substance behind it.

The post Up 550% since listing: Is this the next big ASX copper stock? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Marc Van Dinther has positions in BHP Group. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Superannuation naturally encourages investors to think in decades.

That makes Warren Buffett an interesting investor to learn from. His success has come from finding strong businesses, paying sensible prices, and giving them a very long time to create value.

I think several parts of that approach translate particularly well to retirement investing.

Think like an owner

Warren Buffett does not treat shares as pieces of paper to trade. He approaches them as ownership stakes in real businesses.

I think that mindset is valuable inside a self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF).

If I were buying Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), for example, I would want to understand why customers choose the bank, what protects its position, and whether it can still be a stronger business many years from now.

The same thinking could apply to Cochlear Ltd (ASX: COH), Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES), or any other long-term holding.

Share prices can move dramatically in the meantime. The underlying business is what ultimately interests me.

Quality deserves attention

Buffett became increasingly focused on owning excellent businesses rather than simply finding shares that looked statistically cheap.

For a superannuation portfolio, I think that is an important distinction.

A company with a strong competitive position, capable management, healthy finances, and room to reinvest can potentially keep increasing its value for years.

Paying a sensible price still matters. But I would not automatically reject a high-quality company because another share trades on a lower price-to-earnings ratio.

Over a 20 or 30-year timeframe, the ability of the business to keep progressing can become far more important than squeezing every last dollar out of the initial purchase price.

Activity is not the goal

SMSF investors can buy and sell investments whenever they like within the rules of their fund, but that does not mean they need to.

Warren Buffett is famous for holding some businesses for decades.

I think there is a lesson in that. Constantly changing investments creates more opportunities to make poor decisions, particularly when fear or excitement is driving the market.

If the reason I bought a company remains intact, I would rather let management keep building the business than sell simply because another share suddenly looks more exciting.

A long superannuation timeframe gives investors the freedom to be patient.

Most investors do not need to be Buffett

There is also a lesson in Warren Buffett’s support for low-cost index investing.

He has spent his career outperforming markets through individual stock selection, but very few investors can replicate that record.

For someone who does not want to spend years studying businesses, a broad exchange-traded fund (ETF) such as the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS) or Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS) can provide a far simpler approach.

That still allows an investor to participate in long-term business growth without needing to identify the eventual winners personally.

Foolish takeaway

The biggest Warren Buffett lesson I would take into superannuation is that investing does not need constant action.

A long timeframe is valuable when it is paired with sensible investments and enough patience to leave them alone.

Whether that means carefully chosen ASX shares or broad index ETFs, I think keeping the strategy understandable and long term can give retirement savings a strong foundation.

The post What Warren Buffett’s investing style can teach superannuation investors appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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