New Arkeus defence manufacturing facility to be constructed in Queensland

The new Arkeus defence technology facility is expected to build AI-powered sensing systems that serve as the eyes and brains of autonomous platforms for Australian and allied defence customers. It will increase Arkeus’ manufacturing capability by 20 times.

Arkeus has already hired four senior Queensland-based team members, including the global vice president of manufacturing, Andrew Sim, and plans to grow the Queensland team by up to 50 members in the next few years.

“Our AU$180.6m Sovereign Industry Development Fund is about building sovereign capability across the state,” Deputy Premier Bleijie said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“We’ve already announced some great projects in defence, biofuels and biomedicine, but this one I’m particularly excited about.

“$1.48 million has been awarded to Arkeus – it is about building sovereign capability for drones and sensors and for Queensland to stamp its authority in the defence space around the globe.”

The Ormeau facility marks an important stage in Arkeus’ growth. Following a Series A funding of AU$25 million in May 2026, Arkeus is establishing advanced manufacturing capabilities in Queensland and the United States to support sovereign defence capability and enable faster delivery of systems into operational use.

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“Arkeus is just getting started on the possibilities for defence technology that can help drones and other unmanned craft to see, understand and act,” Arkeus founder and chief executive Simon Olsen said.

“Thanks to SIDF, we are establishing this advanced manufacturing facility on the Gold Coast that will include new production and repair capabilities for our specialised AI-powered optical sensors.

“Our new Ormeau facility will allow us to significantly scale manufacturing, meet growing demand from Australian and US defence agencies, and support the next stage of Arkeus’ growth.

“We see enormous opportunities to strengthen Queensland’s sovereign capabilities in advanced manufacturing for the defence sector, to grow export markets and create skilled local jobs.”

Arkeus’ core technology, including hyperspectral optical radar systems, captures multiple layers of visual data simultaneously, allowing AI to detect, classify and track objects across any domain, day and night, and even in degraded or contested environments where traditional sensors struggle.

Rather than simply showing operators what a scene looks like, Arkeus’ systems extract meaning from data in real time, enabling faster, more accurate decisions at the edge without reliance on vulnerable communications links or remote processing.

Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.