Australian company Freespace Operations has claimed a world-first with ‘Cooperative Lift’ – technology that enables the company’s Callisto 50 heavy-lift drone to balance and safely carry loads up to 100 kilograms, four times what a single Callisto 50 can manage.
The breakthrough enables Freespace’s Australian-designed and built platform to complete missions previously limited to helicopters or large bespoke airframes.
The capability has already secured the company a multimillion-dollar contract with an international defence customer in the Asia–Pacific region.
“Whilst we’re used to seeing drones fly in patterns for light shows, getting them to physically work together to carry weight is a completely different challenge, that we call Cooperative Lift. Universities and leading drone manufacturers worldwide have tried for years to solve Cooperative Lift with limited success,” said Freespace Operations Co-founder Ken King.
“Our breakthrough proves it can be done safely, reliably, and at scale. We can now multiply the lifting power of a single drone up to four times while retaining all the flexibility of smaller, modular systems. This development will significantly increase the range of tasks that can be assigned to drones in a variety of heavy industry and defence applications. Whether it is carrying supplies to a moving ship, mineral exploration, mining logistics, stringing new power lines, or delivering life-saving supplies in an emergency situation, this breakthrough will mean our customers can get more done with their drone fleets than ever before.”
The Cooperative Lift breakthrough builds on Freespace’s proven “Ship Ops” technology, recently showcased at Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, where Callisto 50 drones demonstrated ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore logistics operations. Together, these advances mark a step-change in how defence forces and industries can transport supplies, parts and equipment.
By taking on jobs traditionally performed by helicopters – from delivering cargo at sea to moving equipment in hazardous environments – Cooperative Lift offers a safer, cheaper, and faster alternative. Helicopter pilots and aircraft can be redeployed to critical missions, while drones handle the repetitive, dull or dangerous tasks.
Image: Freespace Operations founders (from left) Ken King and Leonard Hall
