Freespace opens Melbourne drone plant to lift output

Freespace Operations has opened a new drone manufacturing facility in Melbourne to increase output of its heavy-lift logistics drones.

Located in Tullamarine, the site adds 1,100 square metres of manufacturing, assembly and testing space. Once fully operational, it is expected to support production of more than 100 drones a year.

The expansion comes as the Melbourne-based manufacturer completes its 150th drone. Over the next 12 months, it plans to double output and lift headcount from 20 to about 30 engineers and technicians as orders rise from defence and industrial customers.

Founded in 2019, the company says demand is coming from sectors including defence, mining, energy, surveying, emergency response and critical infrastructure. Its aircraft are used for logistics tasks such as delivering cargo to ships, stringing powerlines, moving equipment across hazardous sites and supporting remote infrastructure projects.

Growth plans

Freespace has grown from two employees to 20 over the past 24 months. The new site is intended to help it shift from Australian-developed drone designs to more repeatable manufacturing for commercial and defence customers.

The business has delivered 35 Australian Government and Defence contracts worth more than AUD $12.6 million. It has also worked on projects with energy infrastructure groups including Infravision and Enerven.

A large part of the company's proposition centres on its Callisto 50 drone and a system it calls Cooperative-Lift. The approach allows several Callisto 50 drones to balance and carry loads of up to 100 kilograms in operating conditions, compared with the lower payload a single aircraft can manage alone.

The manufacturer also highlighted its ShipOps and Beacon systems, which allow drones to operate from moving ships. The capability is aimed at offshore logistics tasks where operators need to move cargo without relying on crewed aircraft.

Ken King, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Freespace Operations, described the opening as a milestone for the business and for local drone production.

"It's hard to put into words how important drones will become to our daily lives in the years ahead. We're seeing multiple technologies converge - AI, software and hardware innovations - to massively increase the capability of drones. Australia has the engineering talent, industrial base and operational need to build world-leading drone systems here at home. This facility is a clear demonstration of that sovereign capability coming online," King said.

He said the company's growth had been matched by broader interest across the economy.

"Freespace started with two people and a belief that Australia could design and manufacture advanced heavy-lift drone systems for some of the most demanding environments in the world. We now have a team of 20, our 150th drone completed, new orders coming through, and a clear pathway to double both our production output and our workforce over the next 12 months.

"The growth we are seeing is coming from many different sectors of the economy. Logistics and industrial drones have a major role to play across industry, whether that is moving supplies to ships, supporting mining and energy operations, stringing power lines, or helping emergency services move critical supplies without putting pilots at risk." King said.

Export focus

Leonard Hall, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, said the manufacturing expansion would support a shift from technical development to wider deployment. More than half of the company's output is exported to energy industry customers in the Asia-Pacific region, he added.

"Cooperative-Lift is not about drones flying in formation for show. It is about multiple aircraft physically working together to carry a real payload, in real-world conditions, where wind, load movement and aircraft behaviour all have to be managed safely," Hall said.

"That is an incredibly difficult hardware and software challenge, and it is one we have solved by building on the reliability of the Callisto 50 platform. It's a unique capability, and why we are now a significant exporter of drones, with more than 50% of what we create exported to energy industry customers in APAC.

"The new facility gives us the manufacturing foundation to scale, and make Australia home to a truly world-class industrial, heavy-lift drone capability. It means we can continue improving the technology, build systems more efficiently, and support customers who want industrial drones that can take on heavier, more complex missions without defaulting to helicopters." Hall said.

The Melbourne site will also support local supply chain development, pilot training and engineering roles as the company expands manufacturing of Australian-built logistics drones for domestic and overseas customers.