Last week officials unveiled the new Arkeus defence technology advanced manufacturing facility in Ormeau, Queensland that was enabled by the state government’s support of AUD$1.48 million via the Sovereign Industry Development Fund (SIDF). The new Arkeus defence technology facility will 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 20x.
Arkeus has already hired four senior Queensland-based team members, including the global VP of Manufacturing, Andrew Sim, and plans to grow the Queensland team by up to 50 members in the next few years. “Our AUD$180.6M Sovereign Industry Development Fund is about building sovereign capability across the state,” said Jarrod Bleijie, Deputy Premier of Queensland, 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. AUD$1.48M 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 AUD$25M 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.
“Arkeus is just getting started on the possibilities for defence technology that can help drones and other unmanned craft to see, understand and act,” Simon Olsen, Founder and CEO of Arkeus, 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 U.S. 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.
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