Drone Forge & Arkeus to test Warden sensor in Asia-Pacific

Drone Forge has signed a memorandum of understanding with Arkeus to explore integrating Warden into its autonomous systems portfolio. The agreement centres on Arkeus' hyperspectral optical radar technology.

The partnership will include joint flight operations, data gathering and demonstrations as the two Australian companies assess how the sensor can be used across uncrewed platforms. The initial focus is the Asia-Pacific region, with discussions also covering international applications in land, littoral and multi-domain settings.

Perth-based Drone Forge describes itself as an autonomous systems integrator, while Arkeus developed Warden as a system that combines hyperspectral sensing with edge AI. The companies say the technology is designed to detect, recognise and track targets across wide areas without requiring operators to manually interpret large volumes of imagery.

Hyperspectral systems collect data across a broader range of light bands than conventional cameras, allowing users to distinguish materials or objects that appear similar in standard imaging. In defence and surveillance work, they can be useful where conventional imaging provides too little information.

The agreement reflects customer demand for more from uncrewed systems than image collection alone, particularly in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tasks. Companies in the sector are increasingly combining sensors, software and autonomous aircraft to shorten the time between detection and decision-making.

Drone Forge Founder Thomas Symes said customers were asking for systems that could identify relevant activity rather than simply gather footage.

"The feedback we're hearing from customers is clear. They need more from their uncrewed platforms. It's no longer just about collecting imagery, but finding, identifying and tracking what matters, and delivering intelligence fast enough to act on it. Warden is a proven autonomous perception capability that responds directly to those needs, with demonstrated performance on leading uncrewed aerial systems. Through our partnership with Arkeus, we're focused on rapidly integrating this technology into our platforms and delivering the enhanced situational awareness and mission effectiveness our customers are demanding," Symes said.

Sensor focus

For Drone Forge, the arrangement provides access to a sensing system that could be added to its broader range of autonomous platforms and solutions. For Arkeus, it offers a path to wider aerial applications and to customers already using or evaluating Drone Forge systems.

Arkeus Chief Executive Officer Simon Olsen said the company viewed autonomous perception as central to the development of uncrewed systems.

"The future of mission effectiveness depends on how quickly platforms can turn what they sense into what they know. Warden is already demonstrating that advantage on leading uncrewed aerial systems, combining advanced hyperspectral sensing with edge AI to detect, recognise and track targets across wide areas without relying on operators to interpret endless streams of data. Autonomous perception is fundamentally changing what's possible for uncrewed systems. Drone Forge brings deep expertise in developing and operating these platforms, along with a strong understanding of customer requirements. Together, we're building on Warden's proven performance to accelerate deployment and deliver the decision-ready intelligence operators need to act faster and with greater confidence in complex and contested environments," Olsen said.

Wider demand

The agreement comes as defence, critical infrastructure and resources operators seek more sophisticated autonomous sensing tools. The market for uncrewed systems has moved beyond basic aerial observation, with buyers increasingly assessing whether platforms can classify objects, monitor activity and feed analysis into operational workflows in near real time.

Australia has become an active market for this work, supported by local developers building aircraft, control systems and specialist payloads. Partnerships between platform companies and sensor makers have become a common way to bring those elements together, especially where military and security customers want integrated systems rather than separate components.

Under the memorandum, Drone Forge and Arkeus will continue assessing customer applications and commercial pathways for Warden in the region and beyond. The work is expected to focus on how the sensor performs in operational environments and how it can be incorporated across different autonomous systems portfolios.