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Drone Forge & Arkeus to test Warden sensor in Asia-Pacific. Tue, 13th Oct 2026 (Today) 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.

Drone Forge and Arkeus partner on Warden radar 13 October 2026 2 / 3 free articles left.

Arkeus and Tanglewood Group announce UK partnership and new manufacturing, engineering and customer support facility. New facility in Malvern UK expands localized manufacturing, engineering and through-life support for Arkeus customers across the United Kingdom, NATO and European Union Melbourne,Australia and Malvern, UK - 7 September 2026 - Arkeus, a leader in wide-area Hyperspectral Autonomous Perception systems, today announced an expanded strategic partnership with Tanglewood Group Ltd. and the establishment of a joint manufacturing, engineering and customer support capability in Malvern, United Kingdom. The partnership expands Arkeus' presence in Europe, building on its Australian foundation and recent expansion into the United States through its Virginia facility. Together, these locations create a growing global footprint across the three AUKUS allies, providing customers in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States with greater access to Arkeus' leading AI-powered sensing systems. The Malvern facility will also provide NATO and European Union customers with localized manufacturing, engineering, integration and through-life support for Arkeus' autonomous perception solutions, including its flagship Warden wide-area hyperspectral sensing system. The new capability reflects a shared commitment by Arkeus and Tanglewood to put customer success at the center of how advanced sensing technologies are delivered, integrated, supported and sustained in the field. By bringing technical expertise and support closer to European operators and partners, the companies aim to shorten response times, accelerate integration and deployment, strengthen supply-chain resilience, and provide customers with a world-class experience throughout the lifecycle of their systems. "Our customers operate in environments where capability, reliability and speed matter, but the experience we provide them before, during and after fielding is equally important," said Simon Olsen, CEO and Co-Founder of Arkeus. "Our partnership with Tanglewood allows us to put world-class engineering and support closer to our NATO and European customers. This is about more than expanding our geographic footprint. It is about being there for our customers, understanding their missions and ensuring they have the support they need to achieve successful outcomes in the field." Located in Malvern, one of the United Kingdom's established centers for defence, cyber and advanced technology, the joint capability will provide a regional foundation for Arkeus manufacturing, engineering, integration, sustainment and customer support activities. The facility will also enable closer collaboration with European platform partners and end users as Arkeus expands deployment of its autonomous perception technologies across air, land and maritime applications. Arkeus' flagship Warden sensor combines wide-area hyperspectral sensing, edge AI and autonomous data exploitation to detect, recognize and track objects across land, sea and littoral environments. Designed for Tactical Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (TUAS),Warden operates day and night and through challenging and degraded visual environments while remaining 100 percent passive. By processing and exploiting sensor data at the edge, Warden reduces the burden placed on operators and communications networks and accelerates the delivery of mission-relevant intelligence to decision makers. The system is designed to enable operators to find what matters across large areas without requiring constant human attention to search imagery. The Malvern capability will support the continued growth of Warden and Arkeus' broader portfolio of autonomous optical sensing technologies as European and NATO customers increasingly seek resilient, distributed and passive sensing capabilities capable of operating in contested environments. "Providing end users with fully supported equipment is key to the success of operations. With this partnership we are now able to provide critical support close to the UK, European and wider NATO customers enabling the success of these operations," said Richard Glyn-Jones, Co-Founder and Director, Tanglewood Group Ltd. "Together with Arkeus, we are building a sovereign UK capability underpinned by secure and resilient supply chains, enabling their advanced technologies to be integrated, supported and sustained in the UK throughout their operational life. This partnership strengthens the UK defence industrial base while providing UK and allied customers with an innovative, operationally relevant capability backed by trusted long-term support." The partnership brings together Arkeus' expertise in hyperspectral autonomous perception, advanced optics, edge AI and real-time data exploitation with Tanglewood's experience in engineering, integrated product support, supply-chain management and through-life support for defence systems. Together, the companies will provide a localized customer experience spanning initial engagement and system integration through manufacturing, deployment, training, sustainment and ongoing technical support. For Arkeus, the investment in the United Kingdom represents another step in building the infrastructure required to support a growing international customer base and ensure that advanced autonomous perception capabilities are backed by the same level of innovation and urgency in the customer experience. "Technology only creates an advantage when it works for the customer, where and when they need it," said Olsen. "As Arkeus grows internationally, we want our customers to know that we are growing closer to them as well. Malvern gives us the ability to listen, respond and support at the speed their missions demand." About Arkeus Arkeus develops wide-area Hyperspectral Autonomous Perception systems that enable platforms to sense, understand and act on their environment in real time. Fusing advanced optics, hyperspectral sensing, edge AI and autonomy, Arkeus technologies transform sensing into actionable intelligence to accelerate decision making across multi-domain operations. Arkeus' autonomous perception systems are designed to detect, recognize and track mission-relevant objects across wide areas and operate across air, land, sea and littoral environments. With passive sensing, onboard processing and autonomous data exploitation, Arkeus delivers resilient perception capabilities designed to operate in degraded and contested environments where speed, survivability and decision advantage are critical. From sensing to effect, Arkeus gives autonomous and crewed systems the perception required to find what matters, understand it faster and enable decisive action. About Tanglewood Group Ltd. Tanglewood Group is a UK-based company delivering Integrated Product Support (IPS), engineering, manufacturing and through-life capability solutions to defence, security and commercial customers. With extensive experience supporting complex defence programmes in the UK and internationally, Tanglewood works with government, industry and technology partners to establish resilient, secure and assured capabilities. The company is committed to strengthening UK sovereign capability through UK-based manufacturing, integration, support and sustainment, underpinned by secure and resilient supply chains. Combining extensive defence experience with innovative technologies and trusted international partnerships, Tanglewood enables critical capabilities to be deployed, available, supported and sustained throughout their operational lifecycle.