Australia’s autonomous drone technology is rapidly changing the way mining operations manage safety, inspections and operational decision making, with one of the country’s largest continuous autonomous drone deployments now operating across BHP Mitsubishi Alliance’s Queensland coking coal mines.
Since February 2026, ASX-listed drone technology company RocketDNA has completed approximately 4,400 autonomous drone missions across BMA’s Peak Downs, Goonyella, Saraji and Caval Ridge operations, logging more than 2,000 hours of flight time and averaging around 1,500 flights per month.
The deployment operates through RocketDNA’s autonomous ‘Drone in a Box’ system, allowing mine personnel to request drone missions directly through the company’s Skylink platform, with processed data delivered within 15 to 20 minutes and no drone pilot required onsite. Missions include inspections, survey work, panoramic imagery, thermal monitoring and live video feeds supporting operational, survey and emergency response teams.
The broad-area Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) approval granted by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) in late 2025 allows RocketDNA to deploy autonomous drones on demand across Australia beyond the visual line of sight of a pilot, removing one of the major barriers that has historically limited autonomous operations to tightly controlled trial environments and site-by-site approvals.
RocketDNA Managing Director and CEO Christopher Clark said the approval had unlocked an entirely different level of operational capability for industry.
“The CASA Broad Area BVLOS approval was the unlock that made the trial possible and the data is now demonstrating what that approval actually means for industry,” said Christopher.
“We think it’s only the beginning of what becomes possible at this scale.”
At Caval Ridge Mine, General Manager Justin Doherty said the technology had quickly changed the way teams operate onsite.
“Drone in a Box technology is gamechanging for us.
“No longer do we have to send our people into the pit to launch drones. Using an app, we can communicate directly with the remote pilot and request a flight. The drone will launch out of the box and collect images as we need them, wherever we need them.
“The value that this technology delivers is outstanding. From a cost, productivity and most importantly a safety perspective, it’s huge.”
Across the four BMA operations, the rollout currently includes eight drone pads and 16 drones operating across more than 80 kilometres.
“With very limited infrastructure – basically a gravel pad, temporary fencing and power – we can get over 80 kilometres of range and pretty much continuous flying time,” said BMA Manager Mine Geology & Spatial Services Shaun Goodsell.
“So it’s a massive enabler for us going forward.”
Shaun said the technology was also changing the way survey and geospatial teams support mining operations.
“Historically, we’ve focused on supporting production through surveying, putting pegs and guidance in the field and providing GPS networks.
“The industry’s changing through the automation piece and the remote operating centre. There’s less of that work and it frees us up to do more value-add work onsite.”
Goonyella Riverside Mine’s Superintendent Critical Path Management Lauren McDonald said the technology was already transforming how teams monitor conditions and assess conditions onsite.
“We are using Drone in a Box in a lot of different ways in our work,” said Lauren.
“We’re using geospatial information for real-time feedback on conditions out in the pit and any challenges or safety issues that we may need to address straight away.”
Lauren said crews previously spent large amounts of time driving around site trying to assess conditions and prioritise areas requiring attention.
“It’s a big site. Previously we were spending a lot of time driving and trying to prioritise the areas that really needed attention. What we’ve been able to achieve with Drone in a Box is we can actually check all of that information before we head out and really target how we use our time from a safety perspective.
“Things like real-time photos and being able to identify safety issues purely from drones on our computers is brilliant but the thing that surprised me most about implementing this technology is how much time it’s saved.”
The technology is increasingly being used to assess pit conditions, monitor operational areas and identify potential hazards before crews physically enter an area. By delivering current aerial imagery within minutes, mine teams are able to prioritise inspections and allocate resources more efficiently across large sites.
Justin said the rollout had quickly expanded well beyond survey work and was now supporting multiple parts of the operation.
“It started with the surveyors being able to get the spatial information they needed rapidly, then production being able to take daily photos and understand exactly what’s happening out in the field without driving around.
“If we look at it from an emergency response perspective, the imagery and data that can be provided – whether it’s hot tyres through thermal imagery right through to live feeds to myself and the ERT team – it’s massive.”
The deployment also represents an early operational model for how autonomous drones and commercial aviation may increasingly share Australian airspace as BVLOS-capable operations continue to scale.
One BMA site currently operates within a nautical mile of an active aerodrome, with RocketDNA coordinating live drone operations alongside Qantas and other commercial aircraft.
Christopher said industries operating in fast-moving, high-consequence environments could no longer afford delays between changing ground conditions and decision-making.
“Autonomous aerial infrastructure closes that gap in a way no previous technology has done at this scale.
“Furthermore, this arrangement represents a working operational model for how autonomous and commercial aviation will increasingly share Australian airspace as BVLOS-capable drone programs scale beyond trial conditions.”
Shaun believes the rollout is only the beginning of what autonomous aerial systems could eventually deliver across mining operations.
“It is an exciting time to be in the spatial space,” said Shaun.
“With everything evolving around AI, we need really good base data and Drone in a Box is the number one enabler for us to get that.”
