Australian drone manufacturer scales up with new Melbourne facility

Australian drone company Freespace Operations has opened a new manufacturing facility in Tullamarine, Melbourne to support its future growth. The facility will enable the company to design, manufacture, test and deliver the company’s Australian-built heavy-lift industrial drone systems, including its flagship Callisto 50 platform. The expansion comes as Freespace completes production of its 150th drone with plans to double output and grow its workforce of engineers and technicians from 20 people to approximately 30 over the next 12 months, driven by new orders from defence and industry customers. Founded in Melbourne in 2019, Freespace has grown from a two-person start-up into one of the world’s leading heavy-lift drone manufacturers, delivering logistics and industrial drone systems for government and commercial customers in Australia and overseas. Freespace’s Cooperative-Lift capability, a breakthrough technology that enables multiple Callisto 50 drones to work together to safely balance and carry loads up to 100 kilograms in real-world conditions, four times what a single Callisto 50 can manage, is transforming logistics operations in multiple industries. Its ShipOps and Beacon technology is world leading in allowing drones to work from moving ships seamlessly. The company’s drones are designed for logistics missions and industrial applications. This includes tasks such as delivering cargo to ships, electricity powerline stringing, moving equipment across hazardous sites, supporting remote infrastructure projects, assisting emergency services and reducing the need for crewed aircraft to undertake dull, dirty and dangerous missions. Freespace Operations Co-founder and CEO Ken King said the new facility was a milestone for the company and for Australia’s emerging sovereign drone industry. “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,” said King. “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.” For Freespace, the new facility includes 1,100 square metres of manufacturing, assembly and testing space, with capacity to produce over 100 new drones per year once fully operational. It will also support local supply chain development, advanced manufacturing processes, pilot training and engineering roles in Melbourne. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Sally Passey at [email protected]