RocketDNA‘s (ASX:RKT) autonomous drone partnership with BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) has grown to become one of the largest deployments of its kind operating in Australia.
Since February 2026, RocketDNA has completed 4,400 missions across BMA’s Peak Downs, Goonyella, Saraji, and Caval Ridge coking coal operations in Queensland’s Bowen Basin. It has logged more than 2,000 hours of autonomous flight time.
The company averages 1,500 flights per month across four active sites, with the program aiming to improve safety and productivity outcomes.
BMA personnel request a drone mission through RocketDNA’s Skylink platform — selecting mission type, site, and parameters via a purpose-built interface — and receive processed aerial data within 15 minutes of dispatch. No drone pilot is required onsite.
Missions span survey, inspection, panoramic capture, and live video applications across all four operations. The model mirrors the on-demand logic of consumer platforms with complexity sitting entirely within the infrastructure, invisible to the end user.
Previously, personnel had to travel into hazardous areas to conduct assessments. Now, they can request to receive equivalent aerial intelligence from a desk, eliminating exposure risk.
The BHP Mitsubishi Alliance is an Australian coal miner operating in central Queensland. It is a joint venture between mining giant BHP (ASX:BHP) and Mitsubishi (TYO:8306).
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: RocketDNA
