Drone Forge and Arkeus announce hyperspectral optical radar partnership

Australian autonomous systems integrator Drone Forge has announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Arkeus to explore the deployment of Warden, Arkeus’s hyperspectral optical radar technology, across Drone Forge’s growing range of autonomous systems.

Announced at Land Forces 2026, the company says the partnership brings together advanced sensing and autonomous aerial platforms with the potential to enhance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in complex land, littoral and multi-domain operating environments.

Warden is designed to provide highly detailed spectral information about objects and environments, creating opportunities for applications where conventional imaging technologies may not provide sufficient information.

For Drone Forge, the partnership represents an opportunity to incorporate emerging sensing technologies into its broader platform and solutions offering, while working directly with Arkeus to identify where Warden can deliver the greatest operational value.

Drone Forge Founder Thomas Symes said the partnership reflects the company’s focus on bringing leading technology together to solve real-world customer requirements.

“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,” he said. “Warden is a proven autonomous perception capability that responds directly to those needs, with demonstrated performance on leading uncrewed aerial systems.”

The collaboration will include opportunities to undertake joint flight operations, data gathering and demonstrations, while the companies continue to explore potential customer applications and commercial pathways.

For Arkeus, the partnership provides a pathway to introduce Warden to new aerial applications and markets through Drone Forge’s platform capabilities and customer relationships.

“The future of mission effectiveness depends on how quickly platforms can turn what they sense into what they know,” said Simon Olsen, CEO of Arkeus. “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.”

The partnership comes as demand continues to grow for more sophisticated sensing and autonomous capabilities across defence, critical infrastructure, resources and other industries.

Image: Simon Olsen (Arkeus) and Thomas Symes (Drone Forge). Supplied